Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has taken to social media to directly rebuff reports linking the club with a return move for Cristiano Ronaldo.
There have been reports that Los Blancos were considering making the sensational return of the Portuguese superstar, who left the club for Juventus in the summer of 2018.
Reports in the Spanish press had even suggested that Ancelotti had made direct contact with Ronaldo over the possibility of a stunning return this month.
It has been claimed that Juve are considering moving on the 36-year-old due to him being the biggest earner on the club’s books and the need for the Bianconeri to ease their wage bill.
A report on Spanish TV on Monday night claimed that Ancelotti - who was re-appointed this summer six years after leaving Madrid - was personally plotting a move for the forward.
Spanish TV channel La Sexta’s El Chiringuito show - which has gained notoriety in the international media this year due to its outlandish reporting and dramatic football coverage - reported the story as an exclusive.
That has now been rejected by the Real Madrid boss, who claimed that he has all the ‘love and respect’ for Ronaldo, but he has ‘never considered’ an approach to be reunited with him in the Spanish capital.
The two worked together at the club between 2013 and 2015, where they won the Champions League together in 2014 - memorably defeating city rivals Atletico Madrid in extra time of the showpiece.
Ancelotti took to Twitter to write: “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We are looking forward. #HalaMadrid”
Ronaldo is the all-time club record goal scorer at Real Madrid, where he netted a barely believable 450 goals in 438 appearances.
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He made the switch to Turin in the summer of 2018 for a reported fee of £105million, where he has raced to 101 goals across three seasons.
There have been suggestions that Real Madrid are keen to bolster their forward line for the upcoming campaign and they have been strongly linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe.
The club have made significant squad cutbacks over the past two summer transfer windows with this year seeing Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane among the exits from the club.
Their forward line for the opening day La Liga victory on Saturday included Gareth Bale - who has returned to Madrid from a season-long loan spell at Tottenham - and Karim Benzema, both of whom played alongside Ronaldo during his time in the Spanish capital.
Ronaldo has also been linked with a move to PSG this summer in the event that the Parisians cash-in on Mbappe, who is out of contract at the Ligue 1 club next season and whom Real Madrid have a long-standing interest in signing.
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