By BRIAN LEWIS
If Cristiano Ronaldo thought yesterday’s declaration was going to prod Manchester United into letting him go to Real Madrid easily, apparently he was mistaken. The Old Trafford brass confirmed to ManUtd.com that they were not listening to offers and CR7 is not for sale.
Apparently even if the 23-year-old superstar formally requests a transfer, the Red Devils claim they aren’t listening. He’s under contract, after just holding the club up for more cash, and they’re claiming they expect him to live up to the deal he signed.
Their terse statement on their website read as follows:
Further to Friday’s press speculation about where Cristiano Ronaldo’s future lies, the club has moved to reiterate its stance on the matter: United are not listening to offers. The club reaffirmed to ManUtd.com on Friday morning that the 23-year-old United star is “not for sale.’’
Of course, that could well just be a negotiating tactic to maintain whatever semblance of leverage they still have.
The winger from Portugal _ who led United to a Champions League and Premier League double _ is headed to Switzerland for a three-week vacation. But his team is going to demand he be at preseason training at the end of next month. This could get far uglier.
If he lodges a transfer request, he’ll lose a cut of the transfer fee, which could well be a record-breaking one. If he goes on striker, I can’t see United paying him at all. And Sir Alex Ferguson has already said the Glazers told him they’d rather see Ronaldo “rot’’ than be bullied by Madrid.
So what do you think happens? The negotiations could start in earnest now. Think his fee will break Zinedine Zidane’s record of 76 million euros? United clearly wants a right back; think Sergio Ramos ends up as part of the deal? Chime in with your thoughts….