But superstar has reportedly told teammates: ‘I’m leaving’
MADRID — There has been no interest from any club in Cristiano Ronaldo, who has threatened to leave Spain after running into problems with tax authorities, according to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
“No one has sent us an offer for either Cristiano or anyone else,” Perez told Onda Cero radio station on Monday.
“Ronaldo is a lot more powerful and more important than all of us who are here.”
Perez’s first task after being re-elected as club president is to appease Ronaldo amid speculation the four-time world player of the year wants to leave.
“As no other candidature was put forward to the board ... it is proclaimed that Mr Florentino Perez Rodriguez is president of Real Madrid,” the Spanish and European champions said in a statement.
The 70-year-old construction magnate’s third term in charge of Europe’s most successful club spanning 15 years — 2000-06 and since 2009 — was rubber-stamped at a ceremony at Santiago Bernabeu.
Among the first issues he will have to deal with is Ronaldo — who he bought in 2009 from Manchester United for a then-record $105.3 million.
Ronaldo is threatening to leave Spain after being accused of tax fraud there.
The frenzy of speculation began soon after the player was accused last week of a $12 million tax evasion through offshore companies, primarily through sales of his imaging rights.
The Portuguese international is currently in Russia competing for the European champion in the Confederations Cup. According to Spanish sports daily Marca, he has told his teammates: “I’m leaving Real. I have made a decision. There’s no turning back.”
Portuguese sports daily A Bola also claimed the club was informed of the 32-year-old’s decision last week.
There has been speculation that Ronaldo is trying to put pressure on Real so that it will bear some of the burden of an eventual fine, as Barcelona did for Lionel Messi.
Among the clubs reported to be interested in Ronaldo is former team Manchester United for a fee which could hit $175 million.
Since extending his contract last November until 2021, Ronaldo, according to Forbes, is the highest paid athlete in the world, raking in $93 million in 2016-17.
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are also reported to be interested, but Bayern Munich president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge denied the German champion would make an offer.
“We are accustomed to intensive speculation on possible arrivals and departures during the transfer period,” Rummenigge wrote in a statement on the Bayern website.
“As a rule, we do not comment on these rumors. But in the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, we want to clarify once and for all that this rumor has no basis and must be referred to in the realm of fables.”
Madrid has captured three Champions League titles in four seasons. The club — which also won La Liga last term — leads the way in the elite European competition with 12 trophies.
Perez’s opponents have criticized reforms in the club statutes that have toughened criteria for future candidates for the team presidency.
Candidates must now have been a member of Real for over 20 years, compared to the old requirement of 10 years, and have a personal fortune of over $75 million.