Ronaldo snub re-ignites transfer talk

INTER MILAN’S want-away striker Ronaldo has been dropped from manager Hector Cuper’s squad for tonight’s Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.

The omission re-opens the rift between club and player, and re-ignites speculation regarding Ronaldo's seemingly imminent departure from the San Siro.

Despite the club playing down any transfer talk, the player has been training separately from the rest of the squad and is growing increasingly unhappy at the club.

Ronaldo has stated in the Italian press that he dislikes the Serie A style of football and that he desires to play in Spain's Primera Division, where the football is more "offensive and less tactical".

Seven former European champions will be hoping to avoid any slip-ups in potentially tricky Champions League qualifying round ties tonight.

They include two of the three teams which have won the competition in the last five seasons Bayern Munich and Manchester United who both finished third and outside the automatic qualifying places in their domestic championships last season.

Bayern, European champions in 2001 after losing to United in 1999, travel to Partizan Belgrade for their first leg clash.

Feyenoord, who won the UEFA Cup final in May, are one of five other former European champions competing for the right to qualify for the lucrative competition proper. They met Fenerbahce at De Kuip in Rotterdam last night.

In all, 16 third qualifying round ties are being played with the second legs on August 27-28. The qualifiers join the 16 sides who have qualified automatically for the competition.

The draw for the competition proper takes place in Monaco on August 29.