DUBAI: Conflicting media reports linking Manchester United’s Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo to European clubs on Friday continued to surface with the latest relating him to France’s Ligue 1 side Marseille.
European media have suggested that last season’s second-place league finishers Marseille have been conducting a financial study to determine what Ronaldo could bring to the French club.
Former Marseille player Jean-Charles De Bono said: “A study is being carried out to find out what Ronaldo could bring to the club financially.”
Mail Online said Liverpool’s ex-striker Djibril Cisse took to social media in a bid to lure Ronaldo to Marseille for the current season.
However, Sports Brief reported Marseille President Pablo Longoria as vehemently denying rumors that his club was looking to sign the Portuguese forward.
With the 37-year-old star reportedly keen to leave the English Premier League to join a Champions League-playing football club, Ronaldo has been linked with several top-tier teams including Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, and Chelsea.
If a deal goes through ahead of the summer transfer market’s deadline on Sept. 1, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner would fulfil his wish to play this year’s Champions League competition with Marseille against his former club Sporting Lisbon in the group stage.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Cisse said: “Cristiano come my friend I will look after you.”
Germany’s Bild reported that any transfer for the player would bring with it a massive increase in sponsorship deals and TV viewership.
Having played in the top leagues in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and England, a move to France’s Ligue 1 would see Ronaldo compete in a fifth European league, becoming one of few players to do so.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s newly appointed head coach Erik ten Hag has repeatedly maintained that Old Trafford’s No. 7 was not for sale.
However, Ronaldo was not in the starting lineup to face arch-rivals Liverpool on Monday and instead remained on the bench until the closing minutes of the game that United won 2-1.
According to Sports Brief, Longoria stressed that CR7 (Ronaldo) will not be joining the French club this summer and denied all reports of a surprise move.
Football news platform 90min reported Longoria as saying, “it’s the social media world full of fake news. We want reality. The Ronaldo deal is not for us.”
Ronaldo linked to shock move to French side Marseille
https://arab.news/znn3p
Ronaldo linked to shock move to French side Marseille
- Liverpool’s ex-striker Djibril Cisse took to social media in bid to lure Ronaldo to France
- French club’s president vehemently denies reports linking them to Manchester United star
Archer dismisses Australian tailenders for a 5-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest
ADELAIDE, Australia: Jofra Archer dismissed Mitchell Starc for a well-made 54 and No. 11 Nathan Lyon to restrict Australia to 371 on Thursday and complete a five-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest.
Archer picked up the first wicket of the third test, two more in the first over after lunch later Wednesday and the last two on Day 2 after Australia resumed at 322 for eight.
Starc made it back-to-back half centuries to continue his run of form that has earned him player-of-the-match honors in Australia’s opening eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane.
He was unbeaten on 33 overnight and quickly raced to his half-century, plundering four boundaries in the first 10 deliveries of the morning: two slashing cuts in the first over from Archer and two more to wayward deliveries from Brydon Carse.
Starc reached 50 with a single, hit the first ball of Archer’s next over to the boundary but then the England paceman bowled him with a delivery that angled in from around the stumps.
The last-wicket pair added 23 runs before Archer trapped Lyon lbw, leaving Scott Boland unbeaten on 14 from 21 deliveries.
Archer returned 5-53 from 20.2 overs for his fourth five-wicket haul in test cricket, and third in the Ashes.
Victory a must by England
England needs a victory in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes in this five-test series. A good batting performance in hot conditions on Thursday will help the cause, particularly with the Australians in the field and the temperature forecast to get close to 40C on Day 2.
On Wednesday, Alex Carey posted a hometown hundred and Usman Khawaja scored 82 after he was recalled at the last minute to replace Steve Smith on the eve of his 39th birthday.
Carey’s 106 was slightly contentious after he survived a review for caught behind when he was on 72. England reviewed the initial not out decision but Carey survived as decision review technology showed a noise spike before the ball had reached his bat.
The technology’s operators, BBG, later conceded after play ended that an operator error was most likely.
“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,” BBG founder Warren Brennan said in a statement.
Before play on Day 2, the ICC match referee restored one review to England because of the error.
