Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid to tell forward to find a buyer
Despite officially being after Cristiano's release clause, Real are thought to be ready to negotiate his transfer if he can bring them an offer.
Following talks between Cristiano Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, and Real Madrid on Tuesday, the striker has been left in no doubt that Los Blancos have little intention of pushing the boat out financially to give him the improved new contract that he wants. According to a report in Record today, this setback in the player's negotiations with the club appears to have left the 33-year-old determined to leave the Bernabéu. His decision is "irreversible", says the newspaper.
Real Madrid may put Cristiano money towards Neymar purchase
Officially, Real want Cristiano's 1bn-euro release clause in its entirety if he is to depart; however, it is understood that the club would be ready to negotiate the star's transfer if he can go to them with acceptable offers from potential buyers. Real president Florentino Pérez, for whom seeing Neymar pull on the white shirt has become an obsession, would then put those funds towards the signing of the Paris Saint-Germain forward in a deal which, AS has learned, would be worth around 400m euros.
Cristiano feels cheated by Pérez over his summer 2017 promise of an improved deal - which the Real chief then proceeded to row back on - and Florentino's pursuit of Neymar has merely served to exacerbate tensions between the pair. The player is unhappy about all the talk of Los Merengues forking out 400m for Neymar despite being seemingly unwilling to hand him a pay rise on his current earnings of 21m net a year (he wants his salary to be brought closer to the annual 37m pocketed by the Brazilian in Paris).
PSG, United and Bayern are Cristiano's three exit options
If Cristiano cannot agree fresh terms with Real, he looks to have three options: PSG, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG, has never hidden his admiration for the forward, or his desire to have him at the Ligue 1 club one day. It is a potential move that could be facilitated by Real's interest in Neymar. Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his family retain strong sentimental ties to United, with his mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, revealing recently that she'd like to see her son return to Old Trafford.
In the coming days, Mendes will sit down again with Real Madrid, but as things stand the two parties appear to be very far from reaching an agreement.
