Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's continued absence from preseason workouts, Manchester United insists the disgruntled star is not for sale.
The 37-year-old reportedly asked to quit Old Trafford if a suitable offer came through over the previous weekend.
This comes after a dismal debut year with the team he represented from 2003 to 2009, when he won numerous medals.
Ronaldo was noticeably absent on Monday when new Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag welcomed the international players to Carrington for the start of preseason training.
As the veteran forward's absence extended into Thursday, the club continued to accept his justification that he was unable to report for training due to family obligations.
Whether Ronaldo will board the aircraft when Ten Hag's team departs for Thailand on Friday to begin their preseason tour is unknown.
However, Manchester United is adamant that he will play this season.
Despite rumours that they are actually eager to sell the Portugal international, the club insists that their position has not altered after saying repeatedly in recent weeks that Ronaldo is not for sale.
The highly compensated former Real Madrid forward appears to have landing locations, and Chelsea is still determining the extent of its interest.
Favorite Ronaldo came to Old Trafford only last summer after leaving Juventus for a cost that eventually reached 23 million euros (23.5 million dollars).
Ronaldo won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award after scoring 24 goals across all competitions.
His first season back at Manchester United ended without a title and with a sixth-place finish in the English Premier League, despite his personal excellence (EPL).
Ten Hag is beginning his rebuild, which will pick up speed when Manchester United travels to Thailand to take on rivals Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday. Europa League football is what Ten Hag is aiming for.
Then, Manchester United departs for Australia, where they will play friendly games against Aston Villa in Perth and Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace in Melbourne, respectively.
Since Manchester United finalised the purchase of Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia, Ten Hag has only had one fresh face to draw from.
This indicates that the team still has to strengthen certain important areas.
The club's long-running pursuit of Frenkie de Jong has reportedly been hampered by FC Barcelona's ongoing payment obligations to the Dutch international.
A three-year contract has been verbally agreed to by Christian Eriksen, while the Old Trafford giants are keen on signing Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez.
Ajax winger Antony has been discussed, and fellow countryman Andreas Pereira is on his way out of Old Trafford.
Manchester United has accepted Fulham's initial offer of eight million pounds (9.5 million dollars) and an additional two million pounds in prospective add-ons for the 26-year-old midfielder.
NAN