Cristiano Ronaldo's contract dispute with Real Madrid is
understood to have been resolved, paving the way for the
Manchester
United superstar to seal his
world-record £80million switch.
The Portugal winger's switch to Spain was thrown into doubt this
week after it emerged that Real were refusing to cave into his
demand for a larger share of his image rights.
Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has been locked in discussions
with Real over the details of the six-year contract but an
agreement has now been reached.
The player is now expected to have a medical at the Spanish
giants early next week ahead of his official unveiling at the
Bernabeu.
Ronaldo was expected to be offered a deal that split his image
rights 50-50 with the club, although reports in Portugal claim that
Mendes was negotiating for a 60-40 share in favour of his
client.
Brazilian forward Kaka, who currently holds the world-record
transfer after his £56m move from AC Milan to Real this month, will
receive 50 per cent of the revenue he generates - a standard Real
offer.
The bonus payments - on top on Ronaldo's astonishing tax-free
£200,000-a-week wages - are based on sponsorship and other
commercial deals, such as shirt sales.
This should earn Ronaldo at least another £2-3m every year to
bump up his £10m annual starting salary.
Incredibly, that is estimated to rise by 25 per cent each
season, meaning he will earn approximately £29m in the final year
of the contract.
With the contract details almost complete, Ronaldo's attention
will now turn to choosing his shirt number for next season.
Getting shirty: Real new boy Kaka
Given the uncertainty of who will be playing at Real
next season, the only shirt numbers available to buy are those of
Iker Casillas (No 1), Sergio Ramos (4) and Raul (7).
Club legend Raul will not surrender his shirt - the same number
Ronaldo famously wore at United - so Ronaldo will set his sight on
No 9 or 10.
Ronaldo has already trademarked 'CR9' and 'CR10', although he
may face competition from Kaka, who has snubbed Zinedine Zidane's
old No 5 shirt in an attempt to become the new No 10.
Javier Saviola and Wesley Sneijder, the current Nos 9 and 10,
are both set to leave this summer during the huge upheavals at the
Bernabeu.
