Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived at Carrington for showdown talks over his Manchester United future.
With super-agent Jorge Mendes in tow, the Portuguese forward is expected to try to force a move in this window.
He is said to be disgruntled with – among other things – the club’s failure to qualify for Champions League football.
The Red Devils have maintained that Ronaldo is not for sale and have even considered triggering their option to extend their talisman’s contract by a further year to ward off potential interest.
They may not need too much of a heavy hand in doing so, however, with last season’s top scorer seemingly having been turned down by a host of Europe’s top clubs.
Regardless of that, the presence of Mendes would suggest that the goalscorer has irons in the fire.
His agent has reportedly let it be known that Ronaldo would be willing to take a 30% pay cut to join a Champions League side, in an effort to bring bidders to the table.
But for now, the biggest obstacle to a transfer is his current employer.
There was a suggestion that United could play the ‘godfather’ card as they did in signing Ronaldo last summer.
However the club have said that Sir Alex Ferguson’s timely arrival at Carrington immediately after Ronaldo was due to a scheduled board meeting, rather than to be involved in discussions over the wantaway forward.
It is somewhat unlikely that the legendary manager will fail to bump into Ronaldo, or be asked his thoughts on the subject, however.
Erik ten Hag is yet to speak to his star striker face to face, having been forced to prepare for the coming season without him.
In the board, the manager and his surrogate football father, Ronaldo has three conversations he must navigate today in settling the matter of his future.
