Although Cristiano Ronaldo's affection for Manchester United is without doubt, his return to Old Trafford has not gone as he might have planned.

Following Erik ten Hag's arrival, Ronaldo's reported concern over United's apparent lack of transfer activity has made other clubs explore possibilities to sign him.

Reports suggest that a couple of clubs have already made their interest indirectly known.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA, ROMA CIRCLING FOR RONALDO

Chelsea and Roma have expressed their interest in signing Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, according to reports.

The Athletic has reported Chelsea, with Todd Boehly installing himself as interim sporting director after his consortium's takeover of the club, met with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes to discuss the possibility of his transfer.

Ronaldo has a year left on his contract, and the possibility of him leaving after only one season has grown with Erik ten Hag's arrival.

Meanwhile, Retesport are reporting the Giallorossi are keen to sign the 37-year-old, with the Friedkin group looking to reunite him with former boss Jose Mourinho and build on the team's Conference League triumph.

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– In the background, United are increasingly confident they will be able to land Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong for a fee of £69million (€80.2m), Goal reports.

– Also, Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has made contact with Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling, according to the Telegraph.

– Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain have opened talks over a deal for Neymar amid Chelsea's interest, per AS.

– Leeds United are preparing a £26million (€30.2m) bid for Club Brugge's Charles de Ketelaere, the Daily Mail reports.

Angel Di Maria is concerned he has yet to do enough to guarantee himself a place in Argentina's World Cup squad due to uncertainty surrounding his future at club level.

The 34-year-old is without a club after leaving Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer following a seven-season spell in the French capital.

He has been linked with a number of teams, with Serie A giants Juventus reportedly close to agreeing a one-year deal for the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player.

Speaking earlier this week, meanwhile, newly appointed Rosario Central boss Carlos Tevez revealed he is hoping to bring Di Maria back to the Argentine club.

Di Maria will not have long to settle at his new side before Qatar 2022 begins on November 21, with Argentina in Group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland.

And despite playing a key part in his country's successful qualifying campaign with three goals, the free agent is not taking his place in the 26-man squad for granted.

"The only one guaranteed to be in is Lionel Messi," Di Maria, who has appeared at three previous World Cup finals, told TNT Sports. 

"Four months from now you don't know. I have to change clubs, adapt again, play and feel good – that will make a difference."

Di Maria is Argentina's fourth-most capped player of all time with 122 appearances, behind only Messi (162), Javier Mascherano (147) and Javier Zanetti (145).

He made 31 appearances for PSG in his final season at the Parc des Princes and registered 13 goal involvements – five goals of his own and a further eight assists.

That is a tally only Neymar (21), Messi (25) and Kylian Mbappe (60) could better among PSG players in the 2021-22 campaign.

Juve remain the favourites to sign Di Maria and the attacking midfielder confirmed the Italian side's interest, as well as commenting on previous links to Barcelona.

"Juventus are the biggest club in Italy and one of the teams interested in me," he said. "Right now I am thinking things through, but I am focused on my holidays and family.

"Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world and I have always had to play against them in the past."

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is the exact type of player Liverpool should be targeting and would make a "great signing" for the club.

That is according to John Barnes, who also told Stats Perform he believes the Reds missed a trick by not bringing in Yves Bissouma, who has now signed for Tottenham.

Liverpool have already been active this window, having added Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho to their attack to compensate for the loss of Sadio Mane, who has joined Bayern Munich.

Jurgen Klopp's side continue to be linked with an array of other players, with Dortmund star and England international Bellingham a rumoured target.

Bellingham has made a big impact for the Bundesliga giants since arriving from Birmingham City two seasons ago, and Barnes would like to see him return to English football.

"I think he's a fantastic player," Barnes said of Bellingham. "Another player who I like to have thought would have suited Liverpool, but went to Tottenham, is Yves Bissouma.

"Obviously that's not there anymore because he's gone to Tottenham, but that's the template of the type of midfield player we want. 

"A hardworking midfield player, probably more defensive than attacking, who may not score many goals but works hard, wins the ball, gets it forward to the front three quickly. 

"Jude Bellingham is similar [to Bissouma]. He probably has a little bit more quality on the ball. He's English, he's young, that would be a fantastic signing for us. 

"But it probably isn't going to happen this year. Hopefully next season we could make that signing."

Despite still being aged 18, Bellingham started 44 games for Dortmund in all competitions in the 2021-22 season – four more than any other player.

He has also racked up 15 senior caps for England and became the youngest player to represent his country in a major tournament at last year's Euro 2020.

While speculation surrounding Bellingham's future looks set to continue, Liverpool have already spent big to sign Nunez from Benfica.

The Uruguay international starred in the Primeira Liga and Champions League and will help fill the void left by Mane's move to Bayern.

Nunez joins Liverpool after netting 48 goals in 85 appearances for Benfica in total, finishing as the top scorer in the Portuguese top flight in the 2021-22 campaign with 26 strikes.

But while Liverpool may have splashed out a reported £64million (€75m) to sign the striker, with a further £21.4m in potential add-ons, Barnes believes he will need time to adjust.

"He's coming to a new country, he's young, he's coming to new environments and new team, he has to be given time," Barnes said. 

"Now if he's like [Diogo] Jota, for example, he hits the ground running, that's a bonus, but I don't expect him to come in and all of a sudden take to the team straightaway.

"We've seen times that players, like [Roberto] Firmino for example, took time to adjust. Thiago [Alcantara] is another who took time to adjust.

"I think they've done their homework and knowing that they can fit him into the template of what they actually want.

"But I'm not putting expectations on him all of a sudden to be the best player on the team and for everything to be seamless. 

"Jurgen Klopp has done his homework and will feel that he can get the best out of him within the framework of the team. So I'm expecting him to be successful in time."

Gareth Bale has signed for Los Angeles FC, marking a significant coup for the Major League Soccer club.

Reports emerged on Saturday that Bale, who had been linked with a switch to hometown club Cardiff City, had agreed a deal to move to California.

MLSsoccer.com, the official website of MLS, claimed the winger was to join LAFC on a one-year contract using targeted allocation money.

That deal has now been confirmed by Bale himself, with the 32-year-old posting a video to his official Twitter account.

The clip was captioned with the post "see you soon, Los Angeles" and showed Bale, who appeared to be standing on a golf course, wearing an LAFC jersey and baseball cap.

Bale's Real Madrid contract had been looking for a new club after guiding Wales to qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

Wales face the USMNT in their first group-stage match in Qatar.

Before then, Bale's signing boosts an LAFC team who already lead the Supporters' Shield race and have also secured Giorgio Chiellini ahead of the transfer window in MLS opening next month.

LAFC's first match after that date is El Trafico against rivals LA Galaxy.

Gareth Bale has signed for Los Angeles FC, marking a significant coup for the Major League Soccer club.

Reports emerged on Saturday that Bale, who had been linked with a switch to hometown club Cardiff City, had agreed a deal to move to California.

MLSsoccer.com, the official website of MLS, claimed the winger was to join LAFC on a one-year contract using targeted allocation money.

That deal has now been confirmed by Bale himself, with the 32-year-old posting a video to his official Twitter account.

The clip was captioned with the post "see you soon, Los Angeles" and showed Bale, who appeared to be standing on a golf course, wearing an LAFC jersey and baseball cap.

Bale's Real Madrid contract had been looking for a new club after guiding Wales to qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

Wales face the USMNT in their first group-stage match in Qatar.

Before then, Bale's signing boosts an LAFC team who already lead the Supporters' Shield race and have also secured Giorgio Chiellini ahead of the transfer window in MLS opening next month.

LAFC's first match after that date is El Trafico against rivals the LA Galaxy.

Newly promoted Premier League club Nottingham Forest have broken their transfer record to sign forward Taiwo Awoniyi.

Forest, who have returned to the top flight for the 2022-23 season after 23 years away, reportedly triggered a £17.2million (€20m) release clause in Awoniyi's Union Berlin contract.

The Nigeria international spent six years at Liverpool but only received a UK work permit last year, shortly before departing for Union in a permanent transfer.

Liverpool are reportedly due to receive 10 per cent of the fee paid by Forest for Awoniyi, who scored 15 times in 31 Bundesliga games last season.

In all competitions, the striker – who spent the previous campaign on loan at Union and was also linked to Newcastle United – netted 20 goals in 43 appearances.

Awoniyi has signed a five-year contract at The City Ground and boosts a side who relied on winger Brennan Johnson as their primary source of goals as they came up through the Championship play-offs. Johnson scored 18 league goals.

"I'm very excited to be here at Nottingham Forest," said Awoniyi, whose signing surpasses the club's previous record outlay of £13.2m on Joao Carvalho in 2018.

"It's always been my dream to play in the Premier League, and having spoken to Steve Cooper about our ambitions and looking at Forest, with its great history, it's a club that I want to be part of."

Awoniyi is widely expected to be followed to Forest by Manchester United and England goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Manchester United's owners must invest to make the club attractive to potential signings amid a reported battle with Brentford to sign Christian Eriksen.

That is the message from United great Gary Neville, who is frustrated with how the Glazer family run the club.

Eriksen is said to be considering a move between Brentford and United, which might seem unusual given the contrasting statures of the two clubs.

The offer from United is reported to be far more financially lucrative, but the Denmark midfielder may repay the faith shown in him by Thomas Frank, who gave him a chance to prove his fitness – and quality – a little over six months after Eriksen had collapsed on the pitch at Euro 2020 due to a heart problem.

Eriksen scored once and assisted four goals in 11 Premier League games to help Brentford maintain their top-flight status, having joined the Bees in January after being released from Inter due to Serie A rulings preventing players from featuring with a cardioverter-defibrillator fitted.

The 30-year-old also created 30 chances following his Brentford bow in February, with only Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42) providing more opportunities in the Premier League over that period.

As Erik ten Hag looks to rebuild at United, Neville urged the Glazers to invest to make the club appealing for transfer targets again.

"That's why dividends have to stop for a period," Neville posted on Twitter in response to recent reports that Eriksen is yet to make his mind up.

"Every penny has to go back into the club until it becomes attractive again. The club has become a graveyard for players.

"Culturally for owners to take cash out of a poorly performing business is demoralising."

Jurrien Timber and Antony have also been linked to reunite with their former Ajax coach Ten Hag, but Christopher Nkunku will not be joining United after penning a contract extension with RB Leipzig.

Lucas Moura remains an important part of the plans at Tottenham next season amid talk of the Brazil international being involved in a swap deal for Everton star Richarlison.

That is the message from Moura's agent, Junior Pedroso, after the forward revealed earlier in the week the 2022-23 campaign could be his last with Spurs.

Moura had to settle for a limited role in Antonio Conte's side following the January arrival of Dejan Kulusevski, with Tottenham now reportedly interested in Raphinha and Richarlison to bolster their attack.

Conte has already brought in Yves Bissouma, Ivan Perisic and backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster in a bid to boost his squad depth ahead of competing in the Premier League and Champions League.

Moura previously expressed his excitement to compete in UEFA's premier club competition with Conte's side, and Pedroso insists his client remains "fundamental" to Spurs' plans.

"Tottenham don't give up Lucas for the season, they see him as a fundamental piece for the Champions League," he told Globo Esporte.

The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker appeared 34 times in the 2021-22 Premier League term, scoring two goals and assisting six, while creating 34 chances.

That marked Moura's worst return in terms of goals when playing a full campaign in the English top flight, but Conte may be keen to call on his experience in Europe next season.

Indeed, Moura was the hero as he scored a hat-trick in the 2018-19 Champions League semi-final as Tottenham snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over Ajax before falling to Liverpool in the final.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has acknowledged the Clarets were always likely to lose their more valuable players after Premier League relegation.

The 36-year-old former Manchester City defender took over at Turf Moor after leaving Belgian club Anderlecht, where he spent three years.

Burnley are returning to the Championship after spending six years in the Premier League, with Sean Dyche leaving at the back end of the 2021-22 campaign after ten years with the club.

Interim manager Michael Jackson managed to produce an initial bounce, but it was not enough to keep Burnley up as the Clarets suffered relegation on the final day of the season following a home defeat to Newcastle United.

As such, Burnley are expected to cash in on their high-profile players in the transfer window. Goalkeeper Nick Pope has already left to join Newcastle, while Maxwel Cornet – the club's top scorer in the 2021-22 season – has also been linked with a move away. 

James Tarkowski's contract is expiring and the defender is set to join Everton, while his fellow centre-back Ben Mee is also leaving the club. Dwight McNeil, too, is rumoured to be attracting Premier League interest.

"You always have to expect that some of the more valuable players will move on [after relegation]," Kompany told reporters on Friday.

"We wish them well and are looking forward to bringing in some exciting players.

"It goes with the drop in revenue when you drop out of the Premier League and you have to expect that.

"It is a few players who have perhaps earned the right to move on."

The Clarets are reportedly nearing the signings of Arsenal defender Daniel Ballard, as well as Milton Keynes Dons midfielder Scott Twine.

"We are close to signing a few players," Kompany added. "There is nobody we are bringing in today, I don't think, but we have set up a few medicals."

While his squad seems set to undergo plenty of change, Kompany is excited to get started.

"I have been well received and I have been blending in quite quickly," Kompany added. "I was not in a need to come to Burnley, I had other options.

"We started talking about the problems in the short term and the opportunities long term. I liked how open the ownership were."

Kompany's first competitive match in charge of Burnley comes on July 29 at Huddersfield Town.

Ajax head coach Alfred Schreuder believes Jurrien Timber will remain at the club amid interest from Manchester United – and hopes to keep Antony too.

Both players have been reported as transfer targets for United following their appointment of former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who is said to be keen to reunite with the pair.

Netherlands boss and former United manager Louis van Gaal has reportedly told defender Timber that should he move and not be an automatic first-team pick, it may affect his chances of making the squad for the World Cup.

Schreuder is optimistic the 21-year-old will stick with the Eredivisie side.

"I think this guy is very smart. He knows very well what is good for himself to develop. And I don't think he's finished at Ajax," Schreuder told ESPN.

Asked whether Timber would remain at the club, the coach added: "I hope so and I assume that."

Schreuder had a similar assessment regarding Antony as he expressed his desire to retain the winger who scored 10 goals and contributed eight assists for Ajax last season.

"It is clear that we want to keep that boy. I think he still has a contract until 2025," Schreuder added.

"I really want to work with him; he knows that, and the club knows that too."

Italy great Fabio Cannavaro has suggested former club Napoli should attempt to sign Paulo Dybala, while making a "sacrifice" to renew Kalidou Koulibaly's contract.

Dybala appears set to join Inter when his Juventus contract expires at the end of June, with Romelu Lukaku also reportedly close to joining Simone Inzaghi's side on loan.

Napoli supporters have grown frustrated with president Aurelio De Laurentiis, with the Partenopei said to be looking to reduce their wage bill, leaving the future of Dries Mertens and Koulibaly in doubt.

Lorenzo Insigne has already left for MLS side Toronto and Cannavaro, who started his career in Naples, urged Napoli to move for Dybala.

"If I were in De Laurentiis I would make a proposal to Dybala," the World Cup winner told Corriere dello Sport.

While Napoli are unlikely to be able to acquire the Argentina international, Cannavaro also says they must do all in their power to keep Koulibaly.

Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United are reportedly interested in the centre-back, whose contract is set to expire in June 2023.

De Laurentiis conceded earlier in May that the Senegal international could not be forced into staying after Koulibaly had stated "we'll see what happens at the end of the season".

"Kalidou represents a pillar of a team that in recent years has always been lucky enough to be able to count on him: if I were in the club I would make a sacrifice to keep him, to renew," Cannavaro added. 

"Maybe he has demands that some other club could satisfy, but it is difficult to find players like him in that role: we must keep them close. 

"There is a shortage [of such players], you can find a midfielder or a forward."

Luciano Spalletti will be keen to keep Koulibaly after Napoli conceded the joint-fewest goals in Serie A (31) and kept the second-most clean sheets (16 – behind Milan, 18) in the 2021-22 campaign.

Having finishing 15 points behind champions Real Madrid in LaLiga season, Atletico Madrid are in a bit of a rebuilding process.

While Hector Herrera, Luis Suarez and Sime Vrsaljko head for the exit, Saul Niguez and Alvaro Morata return from loans, with Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel potentially also signing on a free transfer.

Reports suggest that Atleti are also particularly keen on keeping one of Witsel's international team-mates.

TOP STORY – ATLETI TO WARD OFF CARRASCO INTEREST

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is unwilling to let go of Yannick Carrasco amid growing interest from Premier League clubs, according to Diario AS.

Although Carrasco's contract expires in 2024, his reported release clause of €60million reportedly makes him an attractive prospect to the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Simeone has apparently ordered the club to not field any offers for the 28-year-old, who he considers fundamental to his future plans.

Though the player is reportedly happy at the Wanda Metropolitano, offers from elsewhere could potentially play a role in any contract negotiations.

ROUND-UP

– Cristiano Ronaldo is considering a departure from Manchester United in response to a lack of recent transfer activity under Erik ten Hag, Record reports.

– Barcelona have finally made a bid for Robert Lewandowski, with an opening offer to Bayern Munich of €40m, according to the Telegraph.

– The same publication is also reporting that, with one year remaining on his contract, France international Adrien Rabiot has requested a transfer from Juventus to the Premier League.

– Milan are considering making an offer for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, per TuttomercatoWeb.

Matthijs de Ligt should be allowed to leave Juventus if the right offer is made, according to club legend Ciro Ferrara.

The Netherlands international is under contract at the Allianz Stadium until June 2024, but is yet to agree an extension with the Bianconeri.

Chelsea have been linked with a move for the 22-year-old, who has a release clause of €125million.

De Ligt has been a regular in the heart of the Juve defence since arriving from Ajax for €85.5million in 2019.

The centre-half has racked up 117 appearances across all competitions, scoring eight goals, and winning the Serie A title during his maiden season with the Old Lady.

Ferrara, who won five Scudettos and the Champions League with Juve between 1994 and 2005, acknowledged De Ligt's importance, but insists the club should not stand in his way.

The former defender told Tutti Convocati: "We have to understand if De Ligt has the right motivation.

"He is an important figure in the defence. But if he wants to leave, then Juve will not hold him against his will."

Robert Lewandowski's strained relationship with Bayern Munich can be fixed, according to sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. 

With just one year remaining on his contract, Lewandowski has made clear his desire to leave Bayern ahead of the 2022-23 season. 

The prolific striker said "something has died" within him at the Bavarian giants, who are reportedly expected to turn down an offer worth €40million for the 33-year-old from Barcelona. 

Salihamidzic told Sky he had "a very good conversation" with Lewandowski and his agent Pini Zahavi last week in Mallorca, with Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn also in attendance. 

The meeting left Salihamidzic optimistic that the relationship between the club and player can be repaired. 

"I'm convinced [it can be fixed]. He's a professional and has big objectives in his career. That's why it's fixable," said Salihamidzic. 

"Up to now it's 100 per cent [that he'll stay]. July 12 is his first day in training, so I'm expecting him. But I'm not dealing with it now because he had other things to do. It's become a little bit quieter. We still have a lot to do. 

"I never deal with things that are in the air at the time. I can only repeat: he has a contract until 2023. He is welcome in Munich on July 12 and will be there for the first training session – I'm expecting him, at least. 

"We had a very good conversation [in Mallorca] ... We talked and each side explained their position, but we also didn't want to talk about the details. But it was a good conversation." 

Winger Serge Gnabry will also be out of contract at the Allianz Arena next year but Salihamidzic is hopeful an extension to his deal can be agreed in the coming weeks. 

"He's a great boy. We really want to keep him. We'd love for him to stay. I think we showed him the necessary appreciation. I hope he decides to stay with Bayern," he said. 

"We'll start to intensify the talks over the next few weeks. But if a player doesn't want to choose the club, then it's only fair to tell us, so a solution can be found that makes everyone involved happy." 

England goalkeeper Nick Pope has secured his Premier League future by joining Newcastle United after suffering the pain of relegation with Burnley.

Pope, 30, has reportedly cost Newcastle around £10million and is expected to replace Martin Dubravka as Eddie Howe's number one.

The former Charlton Athletic player has signed a four-year contract at Newcastle and becomes the Magpies' second confirmed deal of the close season, after Matt Targett's loan move last term was made permanent.

Pope, capped eight times by England, continued to impress at Burnley even as the Clarets headed for the Championship. It was inevitable he would leave after they went down, given his desire to play at the World Cup later this year.

Among goalkeepers with at least 10 appearances in the 2021-22 Premier League, Pope had the fourth best save percentage (71.69 per cent).

He managed nine clean sheets from 36 appearances, which was more shut-outs than Manchester United's David de Gea (eight from 38 games) and West Ham's Lukasz Fabianski (eight from 37 games).

While at Burnley, where he spent six seasons, he was named in the 2019-20 Premier League team of the year after keeping 15 clean sheets, which was bettered only by Manchester City's Ederson.

Head coach Howe said: "Nick is an exceptional Premier League and international level goalkeeper, so I'm very pleased to be adding strong competition to a very important position.

"There has been a lot of interest in him from other clubs this summer, so I'd like to thank our owners and everyone behind the scenes for getting us ahead of the competition.

"I'm delighted he is joining us as we prepare for the exciting challenge ahead."

Pope is relishing the challenge, with Newcastle having enjoyed a revival in the second half of the season following an influx of transfer funds from the club's new Saudi owners.

From looking like relegation fodder, Newcastle raced up the table to finish in 11th place, while Burnley ended up 18th in the 20-team table.

Pope said Newcastle had been "taking good steps in the right direction in the recent past".

"This club maybe underperformed in the past a little and would like to perform better. The ambitions are there to go to the next level," Pope added in an interview on the club's website.

"It's something for myself that's really exciting to be a part of."

Newcastle confirmed the long-anticipated arrival of sporting director Dan Ashworth in May, after he left Brighton and Hove Albion, and have been strongly linked in recent weeks with Lille defender Sven Botman and Reims forward Hugo Ekitike.