Wissam Ben Yedder could be Manchester United's wildcard Cristiano Ronaldo replacement

It seems Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United this summer after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League last season. It look as though the appointment of Erik ten Hag and the promise of a rebuild isn't enough to pacify the Portuguese forward, who has asked that the club accept any 'acceptable offers' for a transfer.

The Manchester Evening News understands that United's stance remains that the player is not for sale, which they stated when reports emerged that Jorge Mendes had spoken to both Chelsea and Bayern Munich about a potential move. They expect Ronaldo to be at the club next season and fulfil his contract, which expires in 2023.

But what if Ronaldo does leave? What if the club accept that keeping a player who doesn't want to be at United could be detrimental to Ten Hag's rebuild? Well then, they will have to look at replacements.

ALSO READ: Three issues driving Cristiano Ronaldo's desire to leave Manchester United

With the transfer window having now been open for over a month before Ronaldo dropped this bombshell, it gives United limited options to replace the forward. Fans have suggested the likes of Victor Osimhen and Tammy Abraham, but both players would likely be too expensive. Others, like Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland, have already moved to a new club.

So then you get to the versatile, potentially stop-gap signings; players who won't be the long-term answer to Ten Hag's striker dilemma, but could do a job this season and potentially provide a good rotation option going forward. Fans have suggested players like Memphis Depay — who it seems Barcelona are trying to offload — and even Paulo Dybala, who would command high wages but is available on a free transfer.

But one report in