Cristiano Ronaldo was snubbed by multiple clubs while still at Manchester United despite the Red Devils vowing to cover £370,000-a-week of his wages, according to reports.

The Portugal international reportedly attempted to engineer a move away in the summer transfer window after the Red Devils failed to qualify for the Champions League. There was a lack of interest from top clubs in Europe with his only concrete offer coming from an unnamed Saudi Arabia club.

Erik ten Hag publicly said that he was happy to have Ronaldo as part of his squad for the new season, while the 37-year-old had to accept his was staying. However, his lack of playing time under Ten Hag came to a head when he refused to come off the bench in a 2-0 victory over Tottenham in October.

Ronaldo eventually apologised, after being fined and told to train alone, but he caused more controversy weeks later when he gave an interview to Piers Morgan. He upset a lot of people by criticising Manchester United, Ten Hag, senior executives, former players and more, which ended in the Red Devils agreeing a mutual termination of his contract.

Ronaldo has been causing a stir at the World Cup too with rumours he “threatened to leave the national team” after being dropped for their match against Switzerland, something the Portuguese FA reject.

And, with Portugal getting knocked out the World Cup by Morocco, Ronaldo will now concentrate on finding a new club with the main offer so far coming from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.

It had been thought his wages were the main reason European clubs had been put off Ronaldo but now The Athletic claim he still couldn’t find a club in the summer despite Manchester United vowing to cover £370 kilometre a week of his wages. The report says:

“The Athletic can reveal that after their 4-0 defeat away to Brentford in August, Ten Hag was already entirely open to Ronaldo’s departure and clubs were told United could pay a portion of his wages to facilitate an exit. Ronaldo was believed to earn in the region of £450,000 ($555,000) a week, way more than what most clubs can afford, and United understood it required financial assistance to ease his departure.

“But sources insist multiple clubs rejected even paying £80,000 per week to sign a player who scored 24 goals in all competitions in the 2021-22 season, due to concerns over his suitability for their squads.”

• A Football365 report