Ronaldo finally looks set for the move.
Real Madrid believe they will finally complete the
record-breaking £75m transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from
Manchester
United this summer.
Sportsmail understands
that the Spanish giants are sure they have the foundations of a
deal in place with the player and with the English and European
champions. United continue to deny that there is an agreement
and are sticking to their very public stance that Ronaldo is not
for sale.
However, it is also the case that a select group of European
super agents are now convinced that United's resistance to the deal
will finally be broken in the coming weeks and that the biggest
transfer in English football history will finally take place at the
end of the season.
Ronaldo has coveted a switch to the Bernabeu for more than 18
months and was only convinced to give life at Old Trafford another
go after the personal intervention of manager Sir Alex Ferguson
last summer. But it was always likely that Madrid would come
back for the World and European Player of the Year and at Real, at
least, there is now cast iron confidence that Ronaldo will be the
latest superstar to wear the all white of Spain's most famous
cub.
Madrid's proposed deal includes a £75m transfer fee - to include
a down-payment of more than £50m - and wages in excess of
£200,000-a-week for Ronaldo. They believe this is now acceptable to
United and to the player.
The news will disturb United fans but not surprise them. Ronaldo
has enjoyed a productive season at United since returning from an
ankle problem which delayed his start to the campaign but he has
not quite been the inspirational, all-conquering force he was when
he led the team to the Premier League and Champions League double
last season.
Star man: Ferguson (left) will lose Ronaldo.
Just two weeks ago, Sportsmail revealed that there are
increasing fears within Old Trafford that Ronaldo, who cost United
£12m when signed from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, will bring his time
in England to an end, due in part to the physical treatment dished
out by Premier League defenders on a weekly basis.
But it has now emerged that Madrid were sure they had got their
man weeks ago. Back in December, for example, Real director Pedro
Trapote gave a recorded but off-the-record interview to Spain's El
Mundo newspaper, which subsequently became public. He said: 'If you
are asking me what we are going to do now, then I would tell you
that we have already signed the best player for the summer.
'It is Cristiano, there is no other. It is better that we do not
say anything at the moment though.' Ronaldo is expected to be in
the United team that faces Aston Villa at Old Trafford tomorrow and
may even play up front with Carlos Tevez as an emergency striker as
Dimitar Berbatov is injured and Wayne Rooney is suspended.
