Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a clear message that he wants no more discussion over the end of his time at Manchester United, claiming the “chapter is closed”. It comes after the 37-year-old criticised the club and the manager in an explosive exclusive interview with Piers Morgan.

When asked in the TalkTV interview whether the forward felt he was being forced out of Old Trafford, he claimed: “Yes. Not only the coach, but the other two or three guys around the club. I felt betrayed.”

It led to the Portugal international having his contract mutually terminated before it expired next summer, making him a free agent. With that comes plenty of transfer links with Premier League sides Chelsea and Newcastle just two that have been heavily rumoured with an approach.

For the Blues it comes after they missed out on landing the striker in the summer, with co-owner and interim sporting director Todd Boehly holding talks over a potential switch. With the side struggling for goals and the removed obstacle of agreeing a fee with another club, it makes a switch much simpler.

While it remains to be seen if that’s the case, it appears as though a decision would be unlikely over the next couple of weeks while Ronaldo is at the World Cup with his Portugal side. The centre-forward was centre stage in their opener against Ghana, winning a penalty that he would then score from while the spotlight was on him.

While he may be looking to go out with a bang from the competition, he made it clear that his only focus was that and there will be no more talk of Man United. Speaking to reporters after the win over the Black Stars, he said: “The most important step, we won. It was a week that’s finished, this chapter is closed and now we want to start off on a good foot.”