vivaronaldo.com

Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes will earn an incredible £10million if he can push through the proposed £70million deal that would take Ronaldo to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The transaction would smash the previous world-record transfer fee set in 2001, when Real paid Juventus £46million for Zinedine Zidane.

Success in such an endeavour would cap what looks like becoming a very profitable summer for Mendes, as he has already negotiated Luiz Felipe Scolari’s appointment as manager of Chelsea and is in the process of wangling Deco’s exit from Barcelona.

But he will have to work hard to earn his cut from the Ronaldo deal, as United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is refusing to let his star winger leave.

The Scotsman is currently in the South of France and will not break off his holiday, and as Red Devils chief executive David Gill is also absent, there will be no-one at Old Trafford with the authority to handle the situation over the next week.

Ronaldo has confirmed his desire to complete the move to Spain, as have several of his team-mates from the Portugal national team, who were recently eliminated from EURO 2008 by Germany.

United winger Nani said: “The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo will be bad news for United. In the Portugal camp, Cristiano advised us that his decision was clear and that now he will try new challenges.”

Los Merengues are also willing to negotiate a part player-exchange option involving £40million and Brazilian forward Robinho, who has given his permission to be used as bait.

Much of the English press are reporting that the Portuguese phenomenon will be earning the astronomical figure - comfortably over twice as much as the next highest earners in the sport - in a five-year contract worth a staggering £75 million.

Los Blancos are reported to have made it clear to the player’s representatives that the offer will not be on the table in a year’s time - which is when it is now rumoured Ronaldo will eventually make his ‘dream’ move.

It was stated late last week that Ronaldo would make a final decision on his future in the coming days and rumours emerged yesterday that the winger had told family and close friends of his plan to leave the club, though there were conflicting reports released hours earlier that the player would stay on for a further year at Old Trafford.

Whether Ronaldo will make his intentions public before Euro 2008 has run its course is yet another piece of this complex puzzle, while Manchester United bosses have said they would sooner let their star rot in the stands than sell him to los Merengues.

Various transfer fees have been banded about in relation to the 23-year-old, but it will without doubt take a world record-breaking amount - meaning over the £46 million paid by Madrid to Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

While these incredible sums of money may seem even beyond the world’s most successful club, the president and numerous directors have assured the world that, with the money generated after the player’s arrival, he would produce more than enough revenue to cover his own cost.

Real Madrid have on numerous occasions done their bit to try and placate Manchester United management - who have been furious with the continued approach for their player - by saying the signing would be ‘impossible’, but only to temper such a statement with a look to the future, and the Portuguese international’s ‘inevitable’ signing for the club.

MANCHESTER UNITED chief executive David Gill has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Old Trafford.

The Portugal winger is currently preparing for Euro 2008 after scoring 42 goals last season.

But there is continued speculation about the 23-year-old’s future plans ahead of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

United remain bullish about the situation and insist he will stay their player.

“Our position is clear. Sir Alex Ferguson and I stated it in the last week,” said Gill, as he announced they are to play Portsmouth in a dress rehearsal for the Community Shield in Nigeria in July.

“That’s it. That’s all we are going to say on the matter, full stop.”

The exhibition match will be the finale to the Tinapa Business Resorts soccer tournament.

The date and venue have still to be arranged with United travelling to Nigeria from South Africa, where they are involved in the Vodacom Challenge tournament from July 19-26.

Gill said: “It is not the 39th game by stealth, don’t worry about that. It is just a coincidence we are playing Portsmouth.

“Exhibition games overseas can help Manchester United, but also the Premier League in terms of making sure it is at the forefront of those fans’ minds when it comes to selling it.”

CRISTIANO RONALDO has dropped a bombshell on Manchester United by insisting he wants to join spanish giants Real Madird.

Ronaldo, 23, was widely expected to stick with United after guiding Sir Alex Ferguson’s men to the Double, but the latest twist occured today in his latest interview with a Portuguese magazine.

But the Portuguese ace moved a step closer to a record-breaking move today by urging the Red Devils to accept an offer from the Spanish giants.

He said: “I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it is true they are ready to pay what Manchester United ask of them.

“However, it does not depend on me.”

Real have been chasing Ronaldo for some time and are keen to tie up a move as quickly as possible.

United have rejected their advances but the La Liga champions refuse to throw in the towel.

And Ronaldo’s comments will bolster their determination to land the man widely regarded as the world’s best player.

If the deal does go through, United will have the consolation of pocketing a record that smashes all records in world football.

Ronaldo is expected to cost in the region of £75million, which will smash the current transfer record set by Zinedine Zidane’s £44m move from Juventus to Real in 2001.

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Manchester United’s American owners would do anything in their power to keep Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford.

Ferguson has spoken to the Glazer family about Real Madrid’s attempt to sign Ronaldo, a transfer saga that has turned increasingly spiteful in recent weeks.

The United boss is furious that Real have so publicly tried to unsettle the Portugal winger. United have even threatened to report Real to FIFA, a move which prompted the Spanish champions to back off, but Ferguson is relieved to hear the Glazers back his hardline stance.

“I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers. Their attitude is, ‘To hell with them’. They’d sit a player in the stand, I’m telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people,” Ferguson said.

“They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.

“They’ve been good to this club, believe me. They have been brilliant owners.”

Ronaldo, meanwhile, said that he intends to make a decision on his future in the coming days.

“There’ll be news shortly. I’ll make a decision on my future in two or three days,” the told journalists after Portugual’s 2-0 Euro 2008 warm-up win over Georgia on Saturday night.

The Portuguese star leaves with his national team for Switzerland on Sunday for the European championships which get underway on June 7.

Spanish sports paper Marca claims that Ronaldo could follow in the footsteps of Ruud van Nistelrooy by requesting a transfer.

Billing it as an ‘unwritten law of English football’, the paper claims that a formal transfer request is used to indicate displeasure and a desire to move on.

The transfer list, which apparently is not replicated in Spain, is produced by clubs, but players can request in writing their desire to join it. Marca, of course, claims that Ronaldo “might” submit a letter of his own.

This would be done if he had the desire for a change of scenery after the European Championships - with, say, Real Madrid interested in his signature.

Marca further claims that Ruud van Nistelrooy took this step due to his “differences” with Alex Ferguson.

Manchester United are so determined not to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid that they would let him rot on the sidelines rather than cave in to pressure should the player and the Spanish champions try to force through a move. The hardline stance was spelt out by Sir Alex Ferguson and comes directly from the Glazer family, who control United. For United’s American owners, standing up to Real has become a point of principle and they are understood to have echoed in private the vow that Ferguson has made publicly - not to allow the Spanish giants to “ride roughshod” over their club.

“The thing people miss the point about is that I’ve had a couple of meetings with the Glazers,” said Ferguson. “Their attitude is ‘to hell with them’ (Real). They would sit a player in the stand. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. They’d do it just to prove a point and not to give in to these people. They’ve got balls, I can tell you. I’ve been delighted with them in that respect.”

It is believed that Real are ready to test United’s resolve, however, by lodging a world record bid for Ronaldo of as much as £70m. Though Ramon Calderon, the president at the Bernabeu, made comments on Thursday that appeared to end his club’s interest in Ronaldo, it is suspected these were merely to head off United’s threat to report Real to Fifa over their previously public pursuit of the player.

Real will continue private efforts to land Ronaldo and hope that the player can be pressured to drive the transfer himself by asking for a move. The Spaniards believe that this, coupled with the extraordinary sum they are willing to pay, could tempt United to sell. However, the Glazers appear to be standing firm The six children of United’s owner, Malcolm Glazer - Joel, Avram, Bryan, Kevin, Edward and Darcy - were in Moscow for the Champions League final, staying at the United team hotel, and spoke informally to Ferguson about priorities for the summer transfer window. Retaining Ronaldo is top of the list and a letter has reportedly been sent to Real informing them United will not sell their superstar, even if he asks for a move.

Carlos Queiroz, Ferguson’s No 2, stoked up the ill-feeling between the clubs by accusing Real of a “lack of ethics”, and although Calderon has said Real were “not going to start a conflict” over Ronaldo, it has failed to defuse United’s anger. The European champions are upset by comments from Real they believe were aimed at unsettling their player, including the statement from coach Bernd Schuster that the Spaniards have suspended other transfer business in order to concentrate on signing Ronaldo - “a big priority”.

Speaking at Portugual’s Euro 2008 training camp, Ronaldo continued to give the impression his head had been turned by Real’s interest, saying he would “have news” about his future after the championship.

Ferguson, though, is confident his bosses will back his fight to keep his star and hada message for supporters who fought against the Americans’ takeover in 2005. “They (the Glazers) have been good to this club. They’ve been brilliant owners,” he said. “All the nonsense about them taking the club over and putting it in debt . . . every takeover is done by debt. If I wanted to buy Marks & Spencer do you think I could just go under the floorboards and pull out £3bn? No, I’d go to the Bank of Scotland.”

Real Madrid today, took huge measures to calm down the massive public row that has escalated between Real and Manchester United over their very public chasing of United hitman Cristiano Ronaldo.

Late Tuesday United issued a hard hitting statement threatening to report Real to FIFA over their interest in the Portugal winger.

“We have watched with growing irritation the comments attributed to Real Madrid over their alleged desire to sign Cristiano,” the United statement read.

“We will have no alternative but to report Real if it continues to behave in this totally unacceptable fashion.”

United were irritated by comments from Real coach Bernd Schuster claiming the 23-year-old was their number one summer transfer target, despite the fact that Ron has confessed to being ‘happy’ at Old Trafford, and that he is also only just 13 months into a 5 year deal at Old Trafford.

In a bid to take the heat out of the situation Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon declared that the Spanish chmpions did not want “to enter into conflict” with the European champions.

“We’re not going to do anything againt the wishes of a friend like Manchester,” said Calderon as reported in the Spanish media.

“We’re sorry that Manchester are unhappy, but Real have nothing to do with this affair.”

Repeated reports over the past few weeks suggest Real have every intention of going for their man with a lucrative bid of 80 million euros for the United winger.

Calderon added: “We know Manchester are not selling, so why would we persist? It’s a problem between the player and the club.”

According to the club’s boss Real have only let it be known that they are interested in Ronaldo “if he decides one day” to leave England.

Ronaldo is under contract with the English titleholders until 2012. The player himself has not helped the intense speculation by by failing to categorically deny that he might be in the running for a move after last week’s Champions League win over Chelsea in Moscow.

He is currently with the rest of the Portuguese squad at their Euro 2008 training camp and said earlier this week: “What the press speculate about goes over my head.

“I have already been used to it for the past two years.

“I am calm. Everything’s clear and I will repeat it once again so that the whole world understands: there will be news in two or three weeks.

“At the moment I am here, I am going to give my best and do the best possible in the European Championships.”

Sir Alex Ferguson has put the frighteners on Real Madrid, and won the first major psychological battle by threatening to use FIFA to stop the blatant public courting up of the Man Utd hitman.

United have been so annoyed by Real’s “tapping-up” of Cristiano Ronaldo, that they warned that world football’s governing body would be alerted. That threat appears to have had the desired effect as Real president Ramon Calderon was forced into an unbelievable back down, stating that his club had no desire to encourage Ronaldo to leave.

Calderon was advised by fellow high-ranking officials at Real to stop commenting about Ronaldo for fear of a FIFA rap. “We have not interfered with United’s contract agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo,” said Calderon.

“I want to clear this up and assure them we are not going to influence any player to break a contract.

“We’re not going to start a conflict. If a club does not want to sell a player, then why would we insist that they do sell him?”

Despite Calderon’s claim that Real will only make an offer for Ronaldo if the player wants to join them, United know the Spaniards are doing all they can behind the scenes to make the move happen.

With Ronaldo having stated his desire to one day play in Spain, the steady drip of flattering comments towards him from Madrid are designed to turn the player’s head sooner rather than later, and the majority of this has been orchestrated clearly on behalf of the Spanish champions by their Sports paper alliance, Marca.