- Manchester United will have to pay £60m fee plus wages of £20m a year to lure Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid
- The 29-year-old was hawked around Europe’s top clubs that summer before eventually signing a new five-year deal at the Bernabeu
- Despite Ronaldo’s success at Real, sources in Spain point to the Portugal forward not feeling loved
The
true cost of trying to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Premier League
can be revealed to be more than £140million after it emerged that the
former Manchester United star’s advisors have been asking for
astonishing wages of £20m a year.
Ronaldo
is understood to be willing to listen to offers after becoming
unsettled at Real Madrid and new United manager Louis van Gaal did not
rule out a move for the World Player of the Year last weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored another hat-trick for Real Madrid this week to take his goal tally to 264
However,
any club wishing to buy Ronaldo would have to come up with
mind-boggling sums after it emerged that the player’s representatives
set the bar at £385,000 a week when they put feelers out regarding their
client 18 months ago.
At
that time United were interested in a move for their former golden
child as the club’s owners the Glazer family looked to add the ultimate
signing to the squad David Moyes had inherited from Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ronaldo was hawked around Europe’s top clubs that summer before eventually signing a new five-year deal at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo was hawked around Europe’s top clubs that summer before eventually signing a new five-year deal
Ronaldo is understood to be willing to listen to offers after becoming unsettled at Real Madrid
‘It simply wasn’t worth having the conversation at those numbers,’ said one top Premier League source on Thursday night.
Despite Ronaldo’s success at Real — he now has 264 goals for them — he is expected to look to leave once again next summer.
Sources
in Spain point to Ronaldo not feeling loved and indicate he may be
president Florentino Perez’s one high-profile departure of 2015.
Manchester United were interested in signing Ronaldo last summer but he opted to stay in Spain
A group of United fans plan to fly a 'come home Ronaldo' banner over Real Madrid's next game
By
then Ronaldo will be past his 30th birthday and there are serious
questions as to whether United — or anyone in England — could find the
money to sign him, even if his wage demands were to drop slightly.
With
Perez sure to want around £60m for someone who continues to produce
world-class displays, even a four-year deal for Ronaldo would take the
total investment to over £140m — for a player heading towards his 35th
birthday by the time that contract ran out.
Last
month United did decide to go the extra mile to sign another Real
Madrid player, Angel di Maria, in a transfer worth more than £120m.
Ronaldo could be reunited with Wayne Rooney if he decides to return to Old Trafford
They also agreed to pay loanee striker Falcao £265,000 a week between now and the end of the season.
However, a move for Ronaldo would blow those salaries out of the water and cause potential problems.
Another
Premier League executive said: ‘Even when you have a dressing room full
of well-paid players, you are always taking a risk when you introduce a
player who earns so much more than the rest.’
United have already flexed their financial muscle to sign Radamel Falcao on loan this season
United did to go the extra mile to sign another Real Madrid player, Angel di Maria
