Cristiano Ronaldo warned Alejandro Garnacho to leave Man Utd after £38m bid

Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a warning to Alejandro Garnacho over the challenges of playing in Serie A, calling it “the most difficult league for strikers”.

The Manchester United winger, whose contract at Old Trafford runs until June 2028, has been heavily linked with a move to Napoli as a potential replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

Despite only scoring three goals and providing one assist in his 19 Premier League appearances this season, Garnacho has attracted interest from abroad.

SportItalia reports that Napoli boss Antonio Conte is eyeing Garnacho as a possible successor to Kvaratskhelia, who is reportedly close to joining Paris Saint-Germain.

Napoli's £38million bid for the Argentina international is believed to be lower than United's valuation, with the Red Devils reportedly seeking £60million.

United are not actively looking to cash in on Garnacho, but will listen to suitable offers for any first-team players in a bid to raise funds to fuel Ruben Amorim's mammoth rebuild.

However, the sale of Garnacho, a product of United's academy, would represent pure profit and help the club comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

It remains unclear whether the 20-year-old is interested in a move to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, especially given Ronaldo's comments about how difficult Serie A is for strikers.

Speaking to DAZN in December 2019, the former Juventus ace admitted his astonishment at the level of competition in Serie A compared to his La Liga days with Rell Madrid.

Ronaldo told BeIN Sports: “I have adapted to the Italian championship and it is a difficult championship – the most difficult for all strikers.

“It's the most difficult championship for me, it's full of quality players. I didn't expect so much quality in the Italian championship, they are very good.

“It is more difficult to score in the Italian league than in the Spanish league. The Spanish league is more open, the teams take more risks. Here, not so much.

“Here, the team's priority is to defend first, then attack. This is not the case for Spain. Spanish matches are more open.

“The English championship, where I played for five years [with Manchester United]it's the same. It's more difficult to score in the Italian league, in my opinion.”