BAYERN MUNICH “briefly discussed” signing Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer, claims club chief Oliver Kahn.
The Portuguese forward made his desire to leave Old Trafford clear and missed the Red Devils’ pre-season tour due to “personal reasons”.
Ronaldo, 37, ended up staying at United after a viable transfer failed to materialise – although the Bundesliga could have been a possibility.
Speaking to Bild, Bayern CEO Kahn said: “We briefly discussed Ronaldo at Bayern and Dortmund probably did too.
“We also see the big picture of the Bundesliga.
“Of course, superstars like Ronaldo are an important factor in attracting attention to the league.
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“He is one of the greatest of the last decade. But we quickly dismissed that.”
Ronaldo has started just one Premier League game this season, the 4-0 hammering at Brentford in August.
He will be hoping to be selected tonight as United face Cypriot side Omonia in the Europa League.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was left on the bench for the duration of his team’s 6-3 defeat at Manchester City last time out – with boss Erik ten Hag claiming it was out of “respect for his big career”.
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Ahead of tonight’s match, Ten Hag admitted that Ronaldo was “p***ed off” about not playing last weekend.
The 52-year-old said: “He’s not happy that he wasn’t playing Sunday, don’t get me wrong.
“Of course, he wants to play and he’s p***ed off when he’s not playing. Clear.
“When you’re here and you’re happy, or satisfied, to be on the bench, this is not a club where you have to be, especially Cristiano.
“He’s really competitive, as we all know. He’s not happy when he’s not playing.”
Bayern could have been in the market for a striker after losing Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.
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But they would prefer to sign Tottenham star Harry Kane, having publicly flirted with the England skipper.
Bayern are claimed to have tentatively made contact with the 29-year-old’s representatives, with Kane’s Spurs contract set to expire in 2024.
