The Portuguese forward will need to forfeit a massive pay-off (Picture: Getty)
Manchester United are considering terminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan – but only if he does not demand a pay-off.
The 37-year-old hit out at the club, accusing United’s hierarchy of trying to force him out, while he also lashed out at manager Erik ten Hag and said he would ‘never respect’ the Dutchman.
United released a statement on Monday saying they will ‘consider their response after the full facts have been established’ and will decide their next move after the full 90-minute interview has been aired later this week.
At the very least, Ronaldo is expected to be fined two weeks’ wages, which amounts to around £1million.
United have a different version of events to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and feel it was he who was looking to leave, with Ronaldo having missed most of pre-season – which he now claims was because his daughter was ill.
Rio Ferdinand has kept in close contact with his former team-mate and says his bombshell interview was ‘manufactured for one thing and that’s for him to leave the club’.
According to The Telegraph, he looks set to get his wish with United now prepared to rip up his contract in the January transfer window.
Ronaldo was all smiles in training with Portugal on Monday (Picture: Getty)
Previously, in the summer, they would only have contemplated letting Ronaldo leave if a club had stumped up a fee of around £19.5million – the same as what they paid Juventus a year earlier.
But now United’s hierarchy are prepared to forgo a fee and will rip up the final six months of his contract if he agrees to write off his earnings over that period.
That could be a sticking point, however, with Ronaldo unlikely to want to sacrifice his £560,000-a-week deal – especially as he is unlikely to be offered as lucrative a salary as that anywhere else.
But sources are adamant that United will only terminate his contract if he agrees to sacrifice the final six months of his deal, which is worth around £13million.
Fortunately for United, they have several weeks to work out the best course of action while the World Cup is taking place, with Ten Hag not facing the media again until the middle of December.
Ronaldo received precious few offers in the summer transfer window, with the only viable bid coming from a club in Saudi Arabia but the Portuguese star still believes he is capable of playing at Champions League level and does not want to leave Europe yet.
MORE : Rio Ferdinand mocks Manchester United over £1million Cristiano Ronaldo fine
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The Portuguese forward appears to have played his last game for the club.
