In a move that cuts short what would have been the sequel to last summer's unrequited love affair between Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United have accepted a bid of £80 million for the player from Real. There's no doubting it this time; it's reported on the club's official website.
Ronaldo has apparently again expressed his desire to leave and, a year later, it would seem that United are finally going to step out of his way.
The news comes off the back of yesterday's reports regarding Real president Florentino Perez, who spoke of the importance of maintaining a respectful, healthy relationship with the Champions League runners-up.
It would appear that an unconditional offer of £80 million has gone some way to rebuilding some bridges, leading to Old Trafford.
With Ronaldo almost certain to leave now, as personal terms are hardly going to prove a stumbling block for a player who has pined after a move to the Bernabeu, United are left with a gaping chasm at the club; love him or hate him, nobody could deny the importance of the man. United will need to do a spot of reshuffling, but with £80 million to spend, there's a number of different options at their disposal.
Real and United were set to do battle for the signature of Wigan's Antonio Valencia. The player must surely be Manchester bound now.
Valencia operates from the right wing in a far less advanced role to the one Ronaldo has adopted over the last two seasons, so this could lead to a slight change in shape for the club.
United can also now easily pay the £25.5 million asking price for Carlos Tevez. A fan favourite, Tevez looked bound for Manchester City, but this could change everything. At least now we'll find out if Sir Alex Ferguson really does want to keep the Argentinean on the red side of the city.
Alternatively, Fergie may wish to bring in another truly world class player. He has been a long time admirer of Lyon's young forward Karim Benzema, for example, who is capable of operating in a similar way to Ronaldo. Sir Alex has courted Benzema for some time; this injection of cash could bring the move forward to this summer.
Lots for Man Utd fans to think about now, then, but now this transfer saga looks like coming to an unexpected quick resolution, I may have to switch back to Eastenders.
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From what I've seen of Benzema, I don't really rate him. And as good as Valencia may be, let's be frank; he's no Ronaldo.
ReplyDeleteAs good as the money they're getting is, I can't help but feel that all the money in the world and all the possible players they might be able to sign won't be able to replace a player like Ronaldo.
Big, big shoes to fill, indeed.