Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to leave Manchester United.

Multiple high-level reports revealed on Saturday afternoon that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has asked United to be allowed to leave the club this summer if the right opportunity arises.

The news was first broken by Duncan Castles of The Times with his report explaining that Ronaldo wants to make the most of the 'three or four years' that he believes he still has at the highest level.

Ronaldo set for Man Utd exit

Now 37 years old, Ronaldo doesn't want to waste a year playing in the Europa League and instead wants to do his upmost in order to win the highest individual and team accolades while he still can.

It's an alarming situation for United fans when you consider that Ronaldo only returned to the club 12 months ago and seemed poised to form a pivotal part of Erik ten Hag's new era at Old Trafford.

But alas, it looks as though the Red Devils' only hope of keeping Ronaldo around until the end of his contract is the right bid for the Portuguese superstar simply not arising this summer.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Norwich City - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - April 16, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo looks dejected after Norwich City's Teemu Pukki scores their second goal REUTERS/Craig Brough EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Fabrizio Romano on Ronaldo gate

However, if you're still feeling a little confused about the whole Ronaldo situation - and it'd be hard to blame you when it all came out of practically nowhere - then fear not, because Fabrizio Romano is on the case.

Arguably the world's most famous journalist in football, Romano has built up a formidable reputation in recent years for essentially getting things spot on every single time in regards to transfer news.

Such is the sheer depth and reach of Romano's contacts that he seems to either always be breaking huge transfer updates himself or serving as Twitter's mouthpiece for the biggest developments.

As such, you could rest assured that he was all over the Ronaldo situation like a cheap suit this weekend, corroborating the information and reports that were bounding about with his own sources.

Romano gave his two cents on the matter by tweeting: "Cristiano Ronaldo told Man United he wants to leave this summer as he wants to see more ambition. Man Utd are still hopeful of keeping CR7, but aware of decision.

"Cristiano has no agreement with any other club. Mendes explored options for weeks and will continue."

Ok, cool, nothing too unexpected there, but some of you might know that Romano also has his own YouTube channel where he has the time to breakdown certain situations in greater detail.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v Watford - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - February 26, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts REUTERS/Craig Brough EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Romano breaks down Ronaldo situation

And that's exactly what he did in response to the Ronaldo news, uploading a video titled: "CRISTIANO RONALDO: WHY HE WANTS TO LEAVE, MAN UTD POSITION & MORE," with the allure of "WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING" in the thumbnail.

The result? Well, fascinating viewing with Romano revealing intimate details about the whole situation having checked with sources close to the player, his family and his agent Jorge Mendes.

As such, be sure to check out Romano's full seven-minute video below to get your fix of the Ronaldo news and also keep scrolling for a run through of the most interesting details from his reporting.

The key details from Romano's report

Gripping stuff as ever. Take a bow, Fabrizio. Here are some of the main takeaways from his report:

• Ronaldo is disappointed by United's lack of ambition in the transfer market
• Ronaldo appreciates Ten Hag and thinks he is the right man to lead United forward, but needs more from the club
• Mendes is working with many clubs to discuss about Ronaldo, as well as other players
• Mendes spoke with Bayern Munich's director of football, Hasan Salihamidzic, but the last contact ended with a 'no' due to Ronaldo's age
• Romano has no confirmation on Italian clubs in general in regards to Ronaldo
• It's true that Mendes had a meeting with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to discuss Ronaldo
• As things stand, Paris Saint-Germain will not sign Ronaldo
• Ronaldo currently has no agreement with another club
• Ronaldo is really happy with some of the United players in the team, but is convinced that six or seven important players are needed

All in all, it looks as though we're set for another crazy summer transfer window in the world of Ronaldo less than 12 months on from swapping Juventus for United with all the Manchester City drama in between.

Like we say, it's impossible to know for certain whether or not the right club will be able to snap up Ronaldo, but the sporting world better brace itself if that's the case because one of the greatest athletes of all time moving teams is never a small deal.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 Second Leg - Manchester United v Atletico Madrid - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - March 15, 2022 Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts REUTERS/Phil Noble

We'll keep you posted with all the major updates as they come through.