In my last article I commented that the transfer rumour mill was in full swing, and sure enough this morning there?s already another big rumour. This time it seems Cristiano Ronaldo could be heading out of the exit door, on his way to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

The transfer is by no means a certainty though, mainly because it would hinge on the results of the upcoming presidential elections at Madrid on Sunday. It seems Ronaldo has become the main target of 74-year-old presidential hopeful Juan Miguel Villar Mir, who said at a recent press conference:

?Manchester United know that we are talking with him. We have gone in ‘through the front door??.

Certainly this was news to a lot of people, seeing as there have been no other reports of a formal bid from Real, and nor can there be until Sunday, since Mr. Villar Mir holds no power at the club currently. Naturally, United were quick to try and quash such rumours, releasing a statement which read:

?Manchester United are astonished with Juan Miguel Villar Mir’s comments. There has been no contact between Manchester United and his election team or Real Madrid, and any suggestion there has been is incorrect. Unfortunately these tactics seem to be a common occurrence in elections of this nature.?

The Real Madrid-favouring Spanish newspaper Marca has added fuel to the fire, reporting that Ronaldo told them:

?I have told my agent that I would like to leave. I want to do so in the best way possible. I want to play for Madrid and I dream about it. Villar Mir has promised me he will talk to the club and all we have done is talk through an agent. They have explained to me their plans and the next step is they will talk to Manchester United to open negotiations. Villar Mir’s project is serious and follows correct procedures.?

Personally, I always treat Marca?s reports with a pinch of salt, they?ve been wrong about things like this before, but this feels like one of those ?there?s no smoke without fire? sort of stories and it wouldn?t surprise me if United receive a formal offer from Madrid come Monday, provided Villar Mar wins the election the previous day. Even if he doesn?t there is still a chance Ronaldo could go, his attacking flair would certainly fit in with the philosophy at Real and he has age on his side, which is important as the club look the revamp it?s ageing squad.

The question is, would Fergie let him go? It would seem unlikely as he always mentions Ronaldo (along with Rooney, Rossi and, erm…Fletcher) when he talks of the players who will be the future of this club and as the winger is under contract for another four years he?ll be under no pressure to sell. Yet there remains a lingering feeling that Fergie could be tempted, particularly if the club receive an offer of substantially more than the ?12m they originally paid Sporting Lisbon to procure the youngsters services.

For all Ronaldo?s undoubted potential he is yet to achieve the consistency that marks out a truly great player from a merely decent one and he continues to infuriate fans and team-mates alike with his often needless tricks and the erratic quality of his shooting and crossing. Added to this are question marks over his temperament, and with all these problems Fergie could be forgiven for being tempted by a big-money offer, particularly when it seems as though Ronaldo himself has his heart set on Real.

However I think it would be a great shame if Ronaldo were to leave, as he seems to be improving with every season and has the potential to be one of the best players in the world. Despite his inconsistency and his deficiencies he?s still one of the best players we have at the club. Catching Chelsea won?t be an easy task and certainly won?t be helped if we sell our top players. Still, it seems like this saga will run and run and I?m sure I won?t be the only one keeping an eye on Real?s presidential elections this coming Sunday.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 28th, 2006 at 8:13 am and is filed under Manchester United. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.