Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REDS ARE RON TRANSFER WINDOW SPECIAL ALERT
He’s ready to quit Madrid for Old Trafford after a major fall out with Real president Perez Secret visit to top English schools for Cristiano Jnr
MANCHESTER United have been put on alert by claims Cristiano Ronaldo wants to quit Real Madrid.
The former Old Trafford superstar has reportedly fallen out with Bernabeu chief Florentino Perez, and has asked the Spanish giants to slash his £900million buy-out clause to £90m.
The Ballon D’or winner also wants to send sevenyear-old son Cristiano Jnr to a private school in England, and secretly visited several of the top fee-paying schools when he was in the UK last month.
A source said: “He’s also looked at possible homes in Leatherhead in Surrey and
even a flat in central London. It’s obviously something that he’s very seriously considering, but he’s yet to sign on the dotted line yet anywhere.”
The Portugal forward left United for Madrid in 2009, but a return could be on the cards now as his relationship with Perez has hit the rocks.
Ronaldo, who signed a five-year deal worth £850,000 a week last year, is said to be unhappy over broken promises regarding a pay rise that would give him parity with his £1m-a-week Barcelona rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo is also furious that Madrid are trying to prise Neymar away from Paris St-Gernain in a world-record deal that would make the Brazilian the game’s highest-paid player.
Madrid may be tempted to use the Madeira-born forward as a makeweight in a deal to bring Neymar back to La Liga just a year after leaving Barcelona.
But United are sure to be rivals for Ronaldo’s signature, and the 32-year-old has now appeared to issue a come-and-get-me plea by claiming he still has plenty left in the tank.
He said: “Every now and then someone talks about my age – and I don’t agree.
“There are many young players who have injuries because they do not take care of their body. I am 32 years old and I feel good.
“I’m very motivated and I feel powerful. I still have a lot of passion for football.
“I love it and I feel able to get more and more year after year.
“I had one of my best seasons last year. I got five team trophies, so 2017 was my best year. That’s why I say that age does not really matter.”