Joan Laporta refuses to deny Barcelona Man United star Cristiano Ronaldo has been offered but insists Robert Lewandowski was always their ‘prime target’… after reports he had talks with agent Jorge Mendes
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United to play in the Champions League
The 37-year-old star has been associated with a host of clubs, including Barcelona
Joan Laporta refused to deny Barcelona had the chance to sign Ronaldo
He says Robert Lewandowski has always been the club’s main target this summer
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Barcelona president Joan Laporta has refused to deny reports that the club has been given the chance to sign Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 37-year-old Portuguese star has told United he wants to leave the club in search of Champions League football.
Ronaldo has been associated with a host of European clubs, including Barcelona, despite his strong ties to fierce rivals Real Madrid.
Joan Laporta refused to deny reports that Barcelona had been given the chance to sign Ronaldo
Since Ronaldo made his intentions clear, Catalan side have signed Robert Lewandowski, essentially ruling out a transfer.
When asked about ties to Ronaldo, Laporta said: CBS Sports“Well, these kinds of stories are all part of the summer window process. There is always a lot of news. But in the end, the truth is that we wanted Lewandowski.
“We have a very good relationship with Jorge Mendes. I’ve known him for a long time. He is one of the best player agents. He knows how to do his job and I respect him. In this case, we decided to go for Lewandowski and we knew he was crucial to our success.
Laporta says Robert Lewandowski signing from Byaern Munich was the main target
“So we went to Bayern instead. This is the reality. The other [Ronaldo] subject is only part of the “little history” of football. It’s a very nice story, but you’ll always hear a lot of conflicting news about it.’
When asked if he was considering signing Ronaldo, Laporta declined to go into details, but the Manchester United star received high praise.
“Ronaldo is a very good professional and he is still so fit. He is a player who is very ambitious and competitive and I am sure he has many options,” he said.
Ronaldo plays in Mancehster United’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday
“He is still a player for Manchester United, an extraordinary club that I respect immensely. His future is none of my business. It’s Manchester United and Cristiano’s business.’
Barcelona have been one of the busiest teams in Europe this summer after signing Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Koude, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.
Meanwhile, returning to training this week, Ronaldo took to Instagram on Friday night to announce that he will play in Sunday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano.