Cristiano Ronaldo continues to try and force a move away from Manchester United, but fans of other clubs are not so keen on the Portuguese superstar joining their squad.
The 37-year-old forward was a spectator from the bench as the Red Devils played Wrexham in a behind-closed-doors friendly at United's Carrington training ground on Wednesday, according to reports.
Ronaldo's appearance was his first of preseason, having missed United's overseas tour. They beat Liverpool 4-0 in Thailand on July 12, before making the trip to Australia for friendlies against Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
The Portuguese has made it clear that he wants to leave Old Trafford, but with new boss Erik ten Hag stating that the club are not willing to listen to offers, Ronaldo faces the prospect that he may have to run down the final year of his contract if the situation does not change before the end of the transfer window.
Atletico Madrid fans protest Ronaldo links, say CR7 is 'not welcome'
One of the few solid links regarding a Ronaldo move over recent months has been talk of a switch to Atletico Madrid, but fans of the Spanish side have made it clear they are strongly against that idea.
One of Atletico Madrid's most prominent supporters groups, Union Internacional de Penas del Atletico de Madrid, released a strongly-worded statement on July 27, in which they spoke out against any potential move for the former Real Madrid man.
Atleti fans followed up with banners displayed in protest during their pre-season friendly against third-tier Numancia.
"In light of the possibility of signing Cristiano Ronaldo, if it is more than a simple rumour without any basis, we express our absolute rejection of his hypothetical joining of our club," the statement read.
"The aforementioned player represents the antithesis of the values that constitute the hallmarks of our Atleti, such as the effort, generosity, modesty and humility of those who want to defend our values."
"Even in the highly unlikely hypothetical case that a player in steep decline such as Cristiano Ronaldo could guarantee us a trophy, we would not accept his signing."
📌Comunicado oficial. pic.twitter.com/Eezk0h55ax— Unión Internacional de peñas Atletico de Madrid (@unionatm) July 27, 2022
Furthermore, fans produced multiple banners in protest of the possible signing at Atletico Madrid training the next morning.
One large banner read "RONALDO NOT WELCOME" while another smaller sign had "CR7" crossed out.
Atletico Madrid fans unveiled a banner in protest against the prospect of signing #MUFC forward Cristiano Ronaldo during a pre-season friendly. 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/lrpaAWIY0K— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) July 28, 2022
Even before that, the possibility of a move to Atletico Madrid had already looked to be difficult, with CBS journalist Ben Jacobs reporting on July 21 that Atleti executives had deemed the transfer "problematic" due to the finances involved.
Why does Cristiano Ronaldo w