Cristiano Ronaldo has sensationally told Real Madrid he wants to leave the European champions this summer and that his decision is ‘irreversible’, reports Portuguese newspaper A Bola, via The Independent.
The 31-year-old is reportedly upset by the way he has been treated by the Spanish tax authorities after being accused of tax fraud worth up to €14.8m (£12.9m).
Madrid issued a statement earlier this week pledging their full support to their star man and complete belief that the Portugal international is innocent but the damage has already been done and Ronaldo has reportedly informed president Florentino Perez that he wants to leave this summer.
Reports emerged earlier this month from A Bola claiming an unnamed side were preparing a stunning world record €180m (£157.3m) bid for Ronaldo, which suggest this decision may have been in the pipeline for some time.
Ronaldo is currently on international duty with Portugal as they look to follow up their Euro 2016 success at the Confederations Cup, which starts on Saturday.
The former Manchester United winger only signed a new five-year deal worth £365,000-a-week in November, so it would seem unlikely Ronaldo is using this situation to leverage and even bigger contract leaving Madrid with a huge problem to sort.
Ronaldo has won the Champions League twice, La Liga, Euro 2016, the FIFA World Club Cup and been named World Player of the Year all in the last 12 months but now the big question remains where he could possibly go if an exit away from Madrid formalises.
United chief executive Ed Woodward has been obsessed with the idea of bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford for the first time since he left the club in 2009 for a then-world record £80m, while Paris Saint-Germain have also been heavily linked with his services in the last few years.
Ronaldo became the first player in Champions League history to score in three separate finals when he netted twice in their 4-1 win over Juventus at the start of the month.
For more stats on Cristiano Ronaldo, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
Even by the standards of transfer rumours, this is a giant steaming pile of old...rubbish.