Ronaldo, 31, is recovering from a severed knee tendon
which he suffered last February. He is expected to be out until
November and City are trying to find out the extent of the problem
before making their next move.
They also insist the player loses his excess weight and
gets fit before any deal is done. It would still be an incredible
move by a club who have spent £70million in the last year. That
includes a club-record £19m on Brazilian teenager Jo.
City failed in a bid this summer to land Ronaldinho,
who preferred a move to AC Milan. Now they have turned to his
team-mate from the same 2002 World Cup-winning team. Ronaldo’s
wages would be structured on a pay-per-play basis.
City boss Mark Hughes has been kept fully informed of
the movements for Ronaldo. And Sparky has been assured he would
have the final say. Hughes knew before he took the job that City
wanted a famous name to boost the commercial side.
Cook said: “We told Mark not to come if he thought we
didn’t need a superstar. “Mark’s comment was: ‘We should all
challenge ourselves. We should all challenge ourselves to do things
differently as that’s what makes a difference.’ “He wants to
challenge himself to manage the best in the world.
“He is a big character and is very good at taking young
talent and bringing them on. He has never managed the big star.”
City would be able to sign Ronaldo after the transfer deadline as
he is a free agent.
