Cristiano Ronaldo not traveling with Manchester United for preseason tour

The saga involving Premier League club Manchester United and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has taken yet another interesting turn. 

Per Rob Dawson of ESPN, Ronaldo will not be part of the United squad traveling on Friday for a preseason tour of Thailand and Australia. The news comes after it was reported over this past weekend that the 37-year-old wishes to leave Old Trafford this summer to join a club participating in the upcoming season's UEFA Champions League competition. 

United are scheduled to return home from the trip on July 25.

Earlier this week, United granted Ronaldo time away from the club to deal with an unspecified "family issue" after he was due to return for training on Monday. CR7 has since been linked in transfer rumors with fellow Premier League side Chelsea, and a Sky Sports News update shared on Thursday said United will listen to offers for Ronaldo's services. 

Ronaldo scored 24 goals across all competitions for United last season, and reports emerged last month claiming the all-time great was expected to remain in Manchester and work with new manager Erik ten Hag. Portuguese football expert Pedro Sepulveda previously told Sky Sports that Ronaldo "will not play for another club in England," and ESPN noted Wednesday that Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn ruled out a move for the prolific goal-scorer.