The football world doesn’t really know what to make of reports that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Real Madrid.Some believe it’s a load of nonsense. Others think the fact that Marca and BBC Sport have corroborated the original story from A Bola is proof that the 32-year-old is genuinely planning to leave.Meanwhile, a host of clubs are simply laughing at the whole rumours.Hertha Berlin and Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo’s first professional club, have both made offers to the four-time Ballon d’Or winner on Twitter.And Championship club Bolton Wanderers have confirmed that they won’t be holding talks with Ronaldo.
We’ll learn more about the situation in the coming days.
The headline: “Cristiano wants to leave Spain,” covered A Bola’s Friday front page.
How Ronaldo's teammates feel about it
Marca then did some digging and reported that the superstar is furious with the treatment aimed his way following allegations of tax evasion.
Marca, one of Spain’s pro-Madrid newspapers, have been on the case all day. And they’ve discovered how Ronaldo’s teammates feel about his desire to leave.
They claim that Ronaldo’s current mood is a result of two things: the tax issue and his desire for a new contract.
Ronaldo has denied accusations that he defrauded €14.7 million from the Treasury.
But despite his protestations, it’s not a good look for the Portugal international.
Ronaldo wants a new contract
There’s a belief inside the Madrid dressing room that Cristiano will sign a new deal if and when it is offered to him.
Once he’s earning more money, the former Man United man’s attitude will improve.
Ronaldo only signed a contract extension last November but he already wants an improvement on his current £365,000-per-week deal, which runs until 2021.
It seems odd that the forward is willing to up sticks purely for financial reasons. Earlier this month, he was named the highest-paid sportsperson in the world by Forbes, so he isn’t short of a penny or two.
He doesn’t have much leverage if his plan really is to get an increase on his wages.
He's upset over Pepe's departure
Marca believe that the departure of Pepe is another cause of Ronaldo’s anguish.
The centre-back left the Bernabeu after 10 years at the club. As Ronaldo’s long-term Portugal teammate, it’s hardly surprising that CR7 is upset.
The latest from Sky Sports’ correspondent Kaveh Solhekol is that Ronaldo hasn’t changed his mind about leaving and he doesn’t feel as if he’s getting the respect he deserves.