A senior representative of a top European club has revealed that they recently held transfer talks with former Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner's 2022/23 campaign began in turbulent fashion, with the striker controversially pushing for a move away from Old Trafford before the season kicked off.
Read: 'Ronaldo is the big flop of the 2022 World Cup'
It is believed the Portugal international was keen to play UEFA Champions League this season after scoring 24 times across all competitions for the Red Devils in the 2021/22 campaign.
However, while he was linked with a number clubs competing in the UCL, it soon became clear that many of those sides, including Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, were not interested in acquiring the veteran forward's services.
French outfit Olympique Marseille were also rumoured to have had contact with the player, but nothing materialised from those claims and, as a result, Ronaldo remained in Manchester, where he would be reduced to a fringe role under manager Erik ten Hag before leaving in acrimonious circumstances following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in November.
Marseille sports co-ordinator Basile Boli has now confirmed that there were talks between the Ligue 1 club and Ronaldo in the previous transfer window.
Speaking in an interview with NW Sport, he said: "Cristiano Ronaldo was in talks with Olympique [Marseille], I think he should have come.
"He is a talented player, even if he is a bit old, I think that in the French championship he still has something to give.
"We saw that, for Messi, it didn't work out in the first year and then in the second year he proved he was number one."
Read: Benzema to reverse France decision on one condition?
While it is not clear if Marseille will once again try to secure his services now that he is a free agent following the mutual termination of his Red Devils contract, the 37-year-old reportedly has a huge offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr on the table but is believed to be waiting to see if another top European club will come in for him.
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH: FANS WEIGH IN ON RONALDO'S IMPACT AT THE WORLD CUP