Ronaldo 'welcomes' Real switch
2008-05-21 12:01
Madrid - Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo would reportedly welcome a transfer to Real Madrid.
Spanish sports daily Marca said on Wednesday that Ronaldo had "very recently" communicated his desire to join the club, obliging United to hold transfer negotiations with Madrid.
The paper cited "authorised club sources". It added that Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, has held talks with Madrid's sports director Predrag Mijatovic in Moscow ahead of United's Champions League final with Chelsea.
Showing a photo of the smiling player, the paper carried the front-page headline: "Cristiano says "Yes, I do." In a reference to United's desire to keep its star player, it added: "But Manchester replies: No, I don't."
Speculation about Ronaldo's future was heightened last week when he appeared to suggest to a Spanish TV channel last week he could depart United once the season is over.
However, United manager Alex Ferguson, asked in Moscow on Tuesday about the chance of Ronaldo leaving, sounded confident about keeping the Portugal captain.
"If you want to have a bet on it, I'll put a big bet on with you," Ferguson said at a news conference ahead of the final.
While Ronaldo is under contract until 2012, Madrid president Ramon Calderon has repeatedly stated his interest in signing the 23-year-old player over recent months.
The Spanish champion would almost certainly need to break the world's transfer record to sign Ronaldo. The current record was set in 2001 when Madrid signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for $65m.
Ronaldo, who joined United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003, has scored 41 league and cup goals for United this season, helping the Red Devils win the English Premiership for the second straight season and reach its third final in Europe's top club competition.
- AP