Bayern Munich legend urges German giants to sign Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Germany international Lothar Matthaus believes Bayern Munich should consider signing Cristiano Ronaldo this summer amid reports that he wants to leave Manchester United.

A report by The Times over the weekend claimed that Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford in pursuit of Champions League football, following the Reds' failure to qualify for the competition for the forthcoming campaign. The 37-year-old was due back at United's Carrington training base on Monday for pre-season training but failed to attend for "family reasons." He was also absent on Tuesday.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner, who returned to Old Trafford from Juventus last August, is already being heavily linked with a move to Premier League rivals Chelsea. New Blues owner Todd Boehly reportedly met super-agent Jorge Mendes just over a week ago in Portugal and Ronaldo's future was among topics they discussed.

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United, who have reiterated that Ronaldo is not for sale, will fancy their chances of keeping hold of the Portugal international, largely down to the fact that most clubs will struggle to match his salary demands. However, former Bayern midfielder Matthaus believes his old club should consider signing him if Robert Lewandowski, who is continuing to be linked with a switch to Barcelona, moves on.

"Ronaldo to Bayern would be sexy," Matthaus told Sky Germany. "At least you should think through the options and play through them once.

"If Bayern are of the opinion that Ronaldo is still physically able to really help for a year or two and that they can invest the transfer fee generated for Robert Lewandowski more or less like-for-like in the Portuguese