Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League • England

Cristiano Ronaldo: Tottenham talks over mindboggling transfer revealed after final Daniel Levy agreement

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United during the UEFA Europa League, Group E football match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United on November 3, 2022 at Reale Arena in San Sebastian

A sensational report has revealed that Cristiano Ronaldo has been the subject of discussions within Tottenham Hotspur about a transfer.

Ronaldo ended his second spell with Manchester United back in November after criticising various aspects of the club in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan. He went on to represent Portugal at the World Cup while he was a free agent at club level.

Since then, Ronaldo has left European football behind to sign for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. So far, he has scored nine goals in his first 10 appearances for Rudi Garcia’s side.

Ronaldo is due to be under contract with Al Nassr until June 2025. By then, he will have reached the age of 40. Therefore, there is a chance his time in European club football could be over.

However, it could have been a different story. It has now been revealed by the Daily Mail that Tottenham discussed the idea of signing Ronaldo when he was leaving Man Utd.

It sounds like a classic case of an April Fool’s Day joke, but the report was actually published on the afternoon of March 31.

According to the Mail, there were informal conversations between Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy and former head coach Antonio Conte about Ronaldo’s availability.

Tottenham could have satisfied Ronaldo’s desire to continue at Champions League level. They have since been knocked out of the competition by AC Milan, and risk missing out on qualifying for it next term, but at the time, it was still on offer.

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Tottenham quickly ditched Cristiano Ronaldo transfer thought

However, obviously, Ronaldo did not become a Tottenham player. According to the report, Levy and Conte both concluded that it wouldn’t have been the right option for Tottenham.

Given everything that came after, it may well have been one of the last things Levy and Conte agreed on.

Indeed, several European clubs had doubts about how Ronaldo might disrupt the overall dynamic, despite his outstanding goal record and legendary status.

Tottenham went on to strengthen their attacking depth by bringing in Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal in January instead.

It turned out to be the last transfer window for Spurs with Conte at the helm. The Italian tactician left the club in March after his own, somewhat Ronaldo-style outburst against his employers.

Had Conte and Ronaldo been at the same club, even briefly, it could have been a sensational clash of personalities. Whether the former Juventus forward could have changed the fortunes that followed is something simply for the imagination.

Something else that will be interesting to ponder in the coming months is whether Tottenham striker Harry Kane could leave to help fill the void left by Ronaldo at Old Trafford.

Levy, though, remains resistant to the idea of selling his star striker to a domestic rival, even if his contract situation is putting some pressure on the club.