Real Madrid’s courtship of Cristiano Ronaldo took a new turn today when Spanish newspapers reported that the Spanish club had sent doctors to Los Angeles to check on his hernia injury.
Reports in Spain claim that Manchester United have signed a pre-contract agreement to sell Ronaldo to Real for approximately £82.5million before the end of the month, but United have denied the existence of any such agreement and their position remains that the Fifa World Player of the Year will stay at Old Trafford.
Real are ready to make Ronaldo their second “Galactico” signing of the summer after Kaka agreed to move to the Bernabeu from AC Milan in a £56m deal on Monday. “I have not yet spoken to them [United] but I will do it in the coming days,” Florentino Perez, the Real president, said.
Ronaldo, who is under contract with United until 2012, was involved in a transfer tug-of-war between the English and Spanish sides last summer after admitting publicly that he wanted to join Real.
One player who may not be joining Kaka in the Spanish capital is Franck Ribery, the Bayern Munich and France winger. “Ribery belongs to Bayern and they do not want to sell,” Perez said. “Therefore I have to be respectful to the club. It is another thing if they change their mind.”