Paul Merson has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Manchester United this summer and could look to seal Paris Saint-Germain’s long-awaited dream.
The 37-year-old has had a solid impact at Old Trafford this season following his return to the club last summer. He has scored 23 goals in 37 games and is in fact the closest challenger to Mohamed Salah for the Premier League’s Golden Boot.
Eight of his 17 top-flight goals have come in the past five games, including three hat-tricks.
Ronaldo also led United through the Champions League group stages with six strikes. But despite his continued impact, he does not represent the long-term future of the club.
As well as that, it remains unclear whether he will have a role in Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford regime. The Ajax boss is taking over as the new Man Utd manager and has a big job on his hands.
Writing in a column for Sportskeeda, Merson insisted that Ronaldo will move on amid United’s likely failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
“This might be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year in the Premier League,” the pundit wrote. “He will want to play in the Champions League as he’s played in it all his career.
“I’d be surprised if Erik ten Hag wants him there, to be honest. He’s trying to build his team and Ronaldo is 37.”
And Merson added that PSG could bring him in to help them win the Champions League. The French giants have made it their big aim but have fell at different hurdles in recent seasons.
“PSG could go for him and make him their short-term replacement for Kylian Mbappe,” Merson wrote.
“PSG only want one thing and that is the Champions League. Ronaldo is a proven asset in that competition.
“He’s scored goals, he sells shirts, he’s done it all. Ligue 1 is an easy league – and Ronaldo will be able to focus on the Champions League at PSG.
“With Lionel Messi already at the club, we may well see two of the greatest players of all time playing for the same team.”
Ronaldo, Man Utd return not as hoped
Ronaldo can have no complaints about his own impact at Old Trafford.
His move back to Man Utd came as a shock, with Manchester City reportedly close to signing him at first.
He scored three goals in his first two appearances and United enjoyed a strong start to the season.
However, they dropped off after that and Ronaldo has not got everything he would have wanted from the move.
Nevertheless, as he comes to the end of his career, a move to a new league and potentially etching himself into PSG folklore by helping them win the Champions League would add to his reputation.
The post Paul Merson would be surprised if Ten Hag keeps Ronaldo; says Man Utd star will have much better offer appeared first on TEAMtalk.
Jonny Whitfield
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