Calderon turning to 'Plan B' ?
The Spanish giants have already set the wheels in
motion to get Hamburg’s Rafael van der Vaart instead. Some
directors also openly disagreed with paying a world-record
£80million fee for the Portugal ace, 23.
Calderon will now also try to land Valencia idol David
Villa, who will cost around £30m. Yet he STILL
hopes Ronaldo will try to force his way out of Old Trafford when
the player returns next week for a showdown with boss Alex
Ferguson.
If, as expected, Ronaldo fails to persuade Fergie to
let him go to Real, it will spell the end of Madrid’s efforts to
sign the star this summer. Holland schemer Van der Vaart plays in
the same position as Ronaldo and will cost around £10m.
Madrid directors expect to seal a deal this weekend
when they meet Hamburg’s chiefs in London after Arsenal’s Emirates
Cup. Ferguson has been steadfast in his refusal to allow Ronaldo to
quit and that has left Madrid in limbo.
Real have not made a single signing and, crucially, the
players already at the Bernabeu are becoming disgruntled by the
constant speculation surrounding Ronaldo’s potential arrival.
Even Ronnie’s close pal and Portugal team-mate Pepe has
admitted he has had enough of the saga. He said: “There is a bit of
a lack of respect because a team is not made of one player —
however good he is. “Pele and Maradona won games but they had the
help of their team-mates.
“We are a bit tired with this issue but we know that if
Cristiano comes he will help us and we will help him to adapt into
the dressing room.” A poll in a Madrid fanzine showed that more
than eight out of 10 fans would rather see Villa and Van der Vaart
sign for Real than Ronaldo.
