Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United: Why club abandoned attempts to re-sign five-time Ballon d'Or winner

Manchester United were so concerned over missing out on capturing Romelu Lukaku last summer that they withdrew from attempts to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo, reports claim.

The Belgium international arrived at Old Trafford from Everton for £75m (BBC Sport) after Premier League champions Chelsea had failed to reacquire the forward.

Lukaku has enjoyed moderate success since signing for United, scoring 19 goals in 36 games including in the weekend win over Huddersfield Town, but has been at the fulcrum of Jose Mourinho's attack throughout the campaign.

Prior to the acquisition of the 24-year-old, multiple publications including BBC Sport claimed that Ronaldo wanted to leave Real Madrid after being accused of tax fraud by Spanish prosecutors.

Those complaints preceded an underwhelming campaign for the five-time world footballer this year, who has netted just eight La Liga goals for defending champions Real.

Having spent six successful years with United, Ronaldo has regularly spoken of his affection for the Premier League giants and told Talksport in 2015 of his continued "love" for the club.

But according to the Manchester Evening News, United were never interested in a return for the Portugal international as they felt the move could derail their pursuit of Lukaku.

Jose Mourinho earlier this week ruled out adding to his attack when the transfer window reopens in the summer, having acquired Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January, which the publication adds also appears to extinguish any chance of an immediate return for Ronaldo or the signing of Gareth Bale.

Sanchez joins an attack that already boasts Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, and that quartet are expected to lead the forward line when the 2018-19 season begins later this year.

Whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be able to join that group remains to be seen, with Sweden's record international goalscorer having been given permission to leave the club by Mourinho.

Currently blighted by the recurrence of a knee injury which kept him out for seven months of last year, L'Equipe understands Ibrahimovic has already signed a contract to join Los Angeles Galaxy, with a deal having been agreed three weeks ago.