Real Madrid president
Florentino Pérez is to fly to the United States this month in an effort to
thrash out a new contract with Cristiano Ronaldo and end Manchester United’s
hopes of re-signing the forward.
United are continuing to pursue
efforts to tempt Ronaldo back to Old Trafford, four years after selling him to
Real for a world record £80 million.
But while senior figures at
United have been given encouragement from the Ronaldo camp that the 28‑year‑old
would consider a return to the club should he leave Real, Pérez has made it
clear that he expects the Portugal captain to remain at the Bernabéu for the
rest of his career.
“Ronaldo wants to retire at
Real Madrid, and we want him to retire here, just like Zidane and so many other
great players did,” Pérez said. “You can be absolutely certain that Cristiano
will retire at Real Madrid.”
While Ronaldo is understood to
be open to the prospect of running down his contract to leave as a free agent
in 2015, United believe they can prise him from Madrid this summer if he makes
it clear to the Spanish club that he will not extend his contract.
However, Pérez is now planning
to meet Ronaldo during Real’s four‑game tour of the United States and offer to
make him the world’s highest-paid player with a package in excess of the
£330,000 a week earned by Samuel Eto’o at Anzhi Makhachkala.
Ed Woodward, the new United
chief executive, is due to accompany David Moyes’s squad on the flight to
Thailand, but attempts to sign Baines, Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Thiago Alcantara
will continue throughout the three-week tour.
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