Diego Simeone adamant Atletico Madrid should not sign Cristiano Ronaldo

Diego Simeone insists Atletico Madrid should not entertain the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United due to his links with Real Madrid.

Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis

Ronaldo pushed to leave United in the summer transfer window and the 37-year-old’s agent, Jorge Mendes, had held talks with several clubs across Europe including Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.

Atletico Madrid were also approached but a deal was not struck and Ronaldo has ended up staying at Old Trafford, at least until the January transfer window.

But Simeone is adamant that Atletico should not sign Ronaldo given his history with Real Madrid.

‘In the first place, the two little birds who told you anything was far from what has happened,’ Simeone told Tigo Sports.

‘People sometimes speak to say what they want to say, not what actually happens.

‘Ronaldo is an absolute benchmark for Real Madrid and I would not see [Martin] Palermo ever playing for River, just as I wouldn’t see [Juan Roman] Riquelme or [Ariel] Ortega playing for Boca. There are situations that are very clear.

‘I remember in the pre-season a fan behind me yelled at me, without knowing anything about what was happening but I did know about the rumours that there were, ‘Cholo, be careful, the Champions League is not at all costs’.

‘And I liked it because it is a very healthy reflection, very team, neighborhood, fan, heart and a little reflecting what I felt at that time beyond the fact that I’m not going to deny Cristiano’s story, but it’s not the same as how Luis Suarez joined than if Ronaldo would have arrived.

Graham Potter explains why he hauled off Kai Havertz and Marc Cucurella in Chelsea win

Pep Guardiola says Liverpool fans threw coins at him and slams