Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has insisted the club should not entertain the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo due to his links with Real Madrid.

Atletico Madrid was one of the clubs Ronaldo was linked with in the summer after he announced his desire to leave Old Trafford.

The 37-year-old’s agent, Jorge Mendes, held talks with Atletico but nothing concrete was reached, and Simeone has opened up, adamant that his side was never preparing to sign Ronaldo given his history with Real Madrid.

“In the first place, the two little birds who told you anything were far from what has happened,” Simeone told Tigo Sports.

“People sometimes speak to say what they want to say, not what actually happens."

“Ronaldo is an absolute benchmark for Real Madrid and I would not see [Martin] Palermo ever playing for River, just as I wouldn’t see [Juan Roman] Riquelme or [Ariel] Ortega playing for Boca. There are situations that are very clear.

“I remember in the pre-season, a fan behind me yelled at me, without knowing anything about what was happening, but I did know about the rumours that were, ‘Cholo, be careful, the Champions League is not at all costs.

And I liked it because it is a very healthy reflection, very team, neighborhood, fan, heart and a little reflecting what I felt at that time, beyond the fact that I’m not going to deny Cristiano’s story, but it’s not the same as how Luis Suarez joined than if Ronaldo had arrived.

“The same thing happens to him that I told Luis. I told him that when he went to play with his friends he would continue scoring goals because it’s innate and he has it inside him."

“I have no doubt that Ronaldo will score goals again. It is impossible for him to walk away if he is mentally strong as he has always been to show all his strength, hierarchy and the striker he is.”