Oliver Kahn reveals considering Cristiano Ronaldo deal to make the Bundesliga more attractive
Speaking in an interview with SportBILD as quoted by Manchester Evening News, Bayern chief Oliver Kahn reveals briefly considering a move for Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as the transfer would add a lot of value to the Bundesliga.
Ronaldo was heavily linked with an exit from Old Trafford throughout the summer. A number of clubs were linked with a move for the 37-year-old and Bayern were one of them, but a move never really materialized.
Bayern had just lost their talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona and did not have a replacement. The Manchester United striker was touted as a replacement for the Polish superstar but it never happened.
It has now emerged that the German behemoths briefly did flirt with the idea of signing the former Real Madrid superstar but decided against it despite the fact that it would have made the Bundesliga a much more attractive league.
“We briefly discussed Ronaldo at Bayern and Dortmund probably did too. Of course, superstars like Ronaldo are an important factor in attracting attention to the league. He is one of the greatest of the last decade. But we quickly dismissed that.”
Kahn did not get into details as to why the German giants dismissed the deal for Ronaldo but it could have been due to the economics involved in it. There is no doubt that the 37-year-old is one of the best-paid players in the world and history shows that it is not Bayern’s ideology to do that.
All this has meant that the veteran striker has ended up staying at Old Trafford but is having a very difficult time this season. He has not been a starter under Erik ten Hag with the Dutchman preferring to play Rashford in that position.
There is no doubt about the pedigree that Ronaldo possesses. Even today, he is one of the best finishers in the world but there is a feeling that he does not fit the kind of system that ten Hag is trying to build at Manchester.
It remains to be seen if there is a plan that the Red Devils and ten Hag have to integrate Ronaldo into the team. With a World Cup in less than a couple of months’ time, there is no doubt that the 37-year-old will want to play more regularly.
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Ronaldo is going through a tough phase in his career, but if there is anyone who can turn this around, it has to be the Portuguese forward. It remains to be seen how the rest of the season pans out for the 37-year-old and also, what the future holds for him.