How Ronaldo ‘was rejected by Atletico Madrid’ before sealing dramatic Man Utd return

Atletico Madrid turned down the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Manchester United during the summer transfer window, according to reports. The mercurial 36-year-old has made a prolific start to his second Red Devils spell after returning to Old Trafford on a permanent basis last month.

Ronaldo, who signed a two-year deal with United on deadline day, has already scored four goals in just three matches for the club.

He kicked off with a brace against Newcastle United on his long-awaited second debut before finding the net against Young Boys and West Ham United in each of his next two outings.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was heavily linked with a move to Manchester City before rejoining United in a sensational late twist to the summer window.

The defending Premier League champions were reportedly keen on bringing Ronaldo to the Etihad Stadium but dropped their interest with just days left until the all-important deadline, allowing United to swoop.

read also:Ronaldo offers support for Perth-based footballer Hodgson

However, things could have ended up very differently if Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had been successful in his efforts to send the former Real Madrid man back to the Spanish capital.

Atletico were contacted by Mendes over the possibility of taking Ronaldo away from Juventus, according to Carrusel Confidential.

The report claims the Spanish heavyweights rejected the opportunity to secure his services and no formal talks were held.

Such a move would have been extremely difficult to engineer, given Ronaldo’s monumental wage demands and his prominent association with Atletico’s closest rivals.

They promptly switched their focus to the last-gasp signing of Antoine Griezmann, who returned to the club on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona at the eleventh hour.