A report has revealed how much money Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on by terminating his Manchester United contract early.

Ronaldo is officially a free agent after Man Utd confirmed his exit by mutual consent earlier on Tuesday. That came as a direct result of his bombshell interview last week, in which he said he felt ‘betrayed’ by the club.

The striker is now looking for a new club. And he could complete a huge return to Real Madrid after supposedly offering his services to the Spanish giants.

During an appearance on BBC Sport, Ronaldo’s former Man Utd team-mate Rio Ferdinand was asked about the saga.

The pundit said: “Both parties will be delighted now. He obviously did that interview with the mindset that he wanted to get out of the football club, he wasn’t happy. He made it very clear.

“But I also think Erik ten Hag has got what he wanted as well in this situation. So both parties are happy, [let’s] move on. Next chapter for Cristiano Ronaldo.”

When asked where he might go next, Ferdinand responded: “I don’t know, we were talking about it here [in the studio]. It depends on what the motivation is. Is it Champions League, is it money, is it just to continue playing somewhere with a nice climate?

“This will be panned out and going on behind the scenes but we’ll find out I’m sure in due course.”

Cristiano Ronaldo opts to leave big money behind

90Min have now given their take on the Ronaldo situation. They state he did not have his contract paid up as part of the contract termination.

He would have received £15m over the final seven months of his tenure at Old Trafford. But he opted not to receive this money in a pay-off when departing the Manchester giants.

90Min sources claim Man Utd have had to pay Ronaldo a small fee to end the contract. But it is nowhere near the £15m he could have demanded if the situation was different.

It is clear that Ronaldo loves the Man Utd fans, but he simply had enough of Erik ten Hag and those above the manager – including the Glazer family.

In a statement, the 37-year-old revealed it is time for ‘a new challenge’.

Star issues parting statement

“Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early,” he said. “I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge.

“I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future.”

It is unclear where Ronaldo goes from here. Of course, a move back to Real is a possibility, although they have Karim Benzema up front and will probably reject Ronaldo’s offer.

Sporting Lisbon would love to take the world star back to Portugal. But they admit they would struggle to pay his huge wages. In addition, Ronaldo wants to shine in the Champions League again, whereas Sporting have dropped down to the Europa League after finishing third in Group D.

Chelsea are keeping tabs on Ronaldo’s situation and could swoop in for him over the coming weeks. Their majority owner Todd Boehly is a big fan of the prospect of adding Ronaldo’s brand to his team.

It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo would somewhat tarnish his reputation among Man Utd fans by joining the Blues, though.

Meanwhile, Man Utd may have been warned off a potential signing after he made a big mistake for France at the World Cup.

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