Cristiano Ronaldo's personal terms for a move to Real Madrid were agreed 'a long time ago', according to a senior Manchester United source. Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes is now understood to have finalised all the key details with executives from the Spanish club.
'They have been talking for at least two months,' the source told Observer Sport last night, 'and it was all agreed with Real Madrid weeks ago. All this chat from [Real president] Ramón Calderón that he does not want to upset Manchester United, and Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be bought because he belongs to another club, is absolute rubbish. Discussions have gone way beyond the point of no return. Sir Alex Ferguson knows this now so you can imagine how it has gone down.'
This explains United's decision to lodge a formal complaint with Fifa, claiming that Ronaldo has been tapped up; a threat that, although announced occasionally by clubs, is rarely acted upon. Last week a national newspaper also published a photograph of Ronaldo meeting a Real official in January in Rome, the club's fitness instructor, Walter Di Salvo, who left Old Trafford for the Bernabéu.
'The people around Ronaldo and Real Madrid have been talking seriously for a long time - about everything including the details of his contract if he moves,' added the source.
Ronaldo signed an improved contract that runs until 2012 in April of last year and Ferguson has taken the stance, in public at least, that the player will not be allowed to leave. But the source outlined that United believe Madrid's strategy to have been based on winning Ferguson round once it became clear that Ronaldo wanted to go. 'Madrid knew it would be tough, but thought for the right price the manager would sell. But he doesn't want to. No way.'
But would not a sizeable offer make the deal inevitable? 'No, I don't think he would sell even for £100 million,' the source claimed, although there is no definite confidence at United about what will happen. Ferguson has said that the Glazer family, which owns United, would not sell Ronaldo for any price. But whether they would turn down an astronomical fee, especially given the club's £600m debt, is unclear. One option that may be explored is for Ferguson to persuade Ronaldo to stay at least one more season, then allow him to leave.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born at 5 February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro. He plays primarily as a right winger. But he has also been used both in a central attacking role and as a second striker.
Source: Guardian.co.uk
Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP
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