Cristiano Ronaldo arrives for showdown talks over transfer future as Man Utd bring back Sir Alex to persuade him to stay
CRISTIANO RONALDO has arrived at Manchester United training for the first time since asking to leave the club.
The striker, 37, has been heavily linked with a transfer exit amid interest from Atletico Madrid and Sporting Lisbon.
He was given additional time off over the summer due to "family reasons" but he has now returned to Carrington with agent Jorge Mendes.
Ronaldo landed back in Manchester late on Monday evening and is set to hold crunch talks to discuss his United future.
Erik ten Hag is involved in those talks along with United legends Bryan Robson and Sir Alex Ferguson, who have been brought in to persuade Ronaldo to stay.
But the superstar is set to tell the club he will NOT accept their offer of a new deal and instead wants to leave.
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Ronaldo is determined to play Champions League football and that means he will have to leave Old Trafford just a year after his sensational return.
CR7 has a year remaining on his contract with the option to extend his stay for another season on top.
The Red Devils are trying to convince the Portuguese to stay and the club is willing to accept a loan move for the upcoming season so he can play in Europe’s top club competition.
United chief executive Richard Arnold was also present at Carrington but for other duties separate from discussion with Ronaldo and his agent - though he has been speaking with Mendes over the last few weeks according to the Manchester Evening News.
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It is also claimed Ferguson was at the training ground for a football board meeting.
Meanwhile, Atletico are believed to be leading the race to sign Ronaldo with the forward open to joining Diego Simeone's side.
But the club does face another obstacle in trying to sign the United star - fan backlash.
The Spanish outfit have stepped up their pursuit by listing Antoine Griezmann for sale in order to make space in their wage budget for Ronaldo.
Atletico fans have launched a social media campaign to voice their dissent, including a "#ContraCR7" trend on Twitter, which translates to "#AgainstCR7".
A number of supporters have posted pictures of Ronaldo with a big no symbol on his face to make their feelings clear.