Did Barcelona rejected Cristiano Ronaldo when he was offered to the club? Joan Laporta clears the air after rumors linking the Man Utd with Barca.
Ronaldo was rumored to be leaving Manchester United for Barcelona earlier in the summer transfer season, but the La Liga team instead signed Robert Lewandowski.
Claims that Barcelona was given the opportunity to recruit wanted-away Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo were not refuted by Joan Laporta.
In order to play in the Champions League this summer, Ronaldo has made it obvious that he wants to leave Old Trafford. Barca can provide that because the La Liga behemoths were once thought to be one of his prospective destinations.
However, the Catalan team added Raphinha from Leeds and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich to bolster their attack. That effectively ended Ronaldo’s chances of leaving the Red Devils, despite his requests that he be permitted to leave.
These actions haven’t stopped some people from speculating that Barcelona might have tried to sign the great Portuguese player. Laporta has since stopped disputing the possibility of sensationally bringing Ronaldo to the Nou Camp.
When asked about the connections to Ronaldo, he responded to CBS Sports, “Well, this type of stuff is all within the process of the summer window. There always looks to be a lot of news, but in the end the fact is we wanted Lewandowski.”
“In this case, we decided to go for Lewandowski and understood he was vital to our success. We have a very excellent connection with Jorge Mendes. I have known him for a long time. He is one of the best player agents. He understands how to do his job. I admire him.
“So we made our way to Bayern. The truth is what it is. The other Ronaldo item is merely a piece of football’s “small history.” It’s a lovely tale, but you’ll constantly come across conflicting information about it.”
Did Barcelona rejected Cristiano Ronaldo?
Laporta refused to say whether he had ever thought about pursuing Ronaldo when asked about it. He said: “Lewandowski was ours. He was our main target and I prefer not to comment further.”
Ronaldo, who has yet to sign with a new team, is still up for grabs, and the attacker is scheduled to make his preseason debut on Sunday. Additionally, Laporta applauded him as he talked about his future, showing that he holds him in high regard.
His future is not my concern; it is the concern of Manchester United and Cristiano, said Laporta. “Ronaldo is a very good professional and he’s still so fit. He’s a player who is very ambitious and competitive and I am sure he has a lot of options. He’s still a player of Manchester United, an extraordinary club whom I respect very much.
Laporta’s praise might keep the door open for a future transfer, even though any aspirations Barca supporters had for Ronaldo to leave this summer now appear to be dashed. Next season, his United contract will expire, making him eligible for a free transfer.
Lewandowski and Raphinha are among the five players Laporta has signed, so his focus is now shifting to getting players out of the Nou Camp. Barca must urgently acquire money in order to register its newcomers, but doing so has so far proven to be challenging.
