AC Milan and Inter Milan 'rejected Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo' after call from agent - reports

Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter Milan were offered the services of Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, according to reports in Italy, but both San Siro sides considered the striker too expensive. The 37-year-old’s future has been one of the major transfer topics of the summer, as he reportedly asked to be allowed to leave to join a club competing in the Champions League.

Ad But with the Premier League season now in full swing, Ronaldo remains a United player and has struggled to find a team willing to fork out a bumper salary to bring him in. Premier LeagueOpinion: Man Utd have lurched from a crisis to a catastrophe after Brentford defeat20 HOURS AGO Corriere dello Sport reports that Milanese rivals AC Milan and Inter were both contacted by Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes between the end of June and start of July.

He was sounding out the possibility of Ronaldo returning to Italy, as the Portugal international was taken by the idea of living in Milan and playing in the Champions League at San Siro. However, any chance of a move soon «evaporated» due to Ronaldo’s €24 million per year net salary.

Opinion: Man Utd have lurched from a crisis to a catastrophe after Brentford defeat ‘Get over here!’ – Ferdinand calls on Glazers to shoulder blame for Man Utd mess ‘Desperate’ — Man Utd hit 'new low' in humiliating Brentford defeat, says Neville To make matters worse, neither Milan club would have been able to access the tax benefits of Italy’s ‘Growth Decree’, as Juventus did, because Ronaldo didn’t maintain his Italian residence after leaving Turin last summer. That would have meant the total gross cost of Ronaldo’s annual salary would have been around €45m, far too much for either club.