Photo courtesy of Sportinglife.com
The Manchester United saga rolls on with rumors rife in today’s papers that Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo could be in line for a stunning return to the Premier League champions with Wayne Rooney possibly vacating a forward position.
Now at this point in time all this is just speculation and isn’t actually based in fact, but there are tantalizing snippets of information emerging that will certainly make a few United faces flush with excitement.
Ronaldo’s tweet yesterday where he made reference to Alex Ferguson being his “boss”, the fact that he himself reportedly favors a move back to Manchester and the admission that David Gill flew to meet Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes all point to a potential return for the Portuguese megastar.
Unfortunately, deals this large are never smooth sailing.
Ronaldo has moved to Real Madrid and elevated his already-exceptional standards into the stratosphere. His staggering goal tally, which currently stands at 199 for Madrid, has only cemented his status as possibly the finest goalscorer alive today. Ronaldo possesses a potent mixture of pace, power and ability that pushes his valuation surely to within touching distance of the €100 million mark.
Right there is where we come to the enormous impediment that will ultimately scupper this deal: cost.
Madrid won’t want to make a loss on their most bankable asset, meaning they will no doubt ask for a transfer fee equal to or in excess of £80 million. Then there is the small matter of Ronaldo’s £10 million per year salary on top. Therefore, a four-year deal to bring Ronaldo to Old Trafford will cost approximately £120 million, and that is a conservative estimate. Such figures are beyond even United’s capabilities as a club.
Ronaldo may move on in the summer, but it will likely be to a Qatari-backed club who can afford the staggering fees no doubt required.
James Hilton is a soccer writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter , “like” his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google+
