Man United ‘keen to bring back Ronaldo’
CRISTIANO Ronaldo has decided to leave Real Madrid, according to newspaper reports from Portugal.
Portuguese daily newspaper A Bola has claimed the Madrid striker is angry at his treatment by Spanish tax authorities and has expressed his wish to leave the country.
Spanish prosecutors have accused Ronaldo of defrauding the authorities of à14.7-million in tax, an accusation the footballer is contesting. Ronaldo denies the accusation and A
Bola say the 32-year-old striker has made the “irreversible” decision to leave the club, and has informed his teammates of his intentions.
The four-time Ballon d’Or winner responded to the tax charges by posting a picture of himself “shushing” at the camera along with the caption: “Sometimes the best answer it’s to be quiet”.
“It is clear that the football player did not try to evade taxes,” Ronaldo’s Gestifute management company said.
Ronaldo signed a new five-year contract to stay at the Bernabeu in November 2016, declaring he is ready to play on until his 41st birthday.
“This is a special day for me, extending my links with this club, the club of my heart. Renewing for five years is very special and let it be clear that this is not the last contract,” said Ronaldo, only seven months ago.
“I want to keep making history and I’m sure that in the next five years I will keep scoring goals and winning trophies with the best club in the world. I want to finish my career at this club but I want this to be my penultimate contract.”
Ronaldo played a starring role in Madrid’s season, scoring 38 goals as
Los Blancos retained the Champions League and won the Spanish La Liga title for the first time since 2012.
Manchester United would be keen on bringing him back to the English Premier League after their move for Antoine Griezmann collapsed earlier this summer.
United have taken the decision not to renew Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s one-year contract and Ronaldo could become the club’s number one transfer priority should he become available.
Ronaldo, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer, is the latest in a long line of soccer players in Spain — among them Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Neymar — to be caught up in cases over tax or transfers.
Ronaldo has completed eight seasons at Madrid since joining them from United in 2009 for a then world record fee of à96-million. During that time they have won the Champions League three times and La Liga twice.
He is currently at the Fifa Confederations Cup in Russia with the Portuguese national team. —
Portuguese daily claims Real Madrid striker is angry at his treatment by Spanish tax authorities and has expressed his wish to leave the country