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Ronaldo's ever-pending Red Devils return
30 October 2015 - 01:21
Back in the summer of 2013, Premier League champions Manchester United were heavily linked with Cristiano Ronaldo, who it was widely claimed wanted to return his former club as his Real Madrid contract drew ever close to expiring..
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Despite Ronaldo since signing a new five-year contract at Real, such rumours still abound. In fact, at odds of 9/2 are on offer at the time of writing on the Portuguese returning to Manchester in the summer of 2016. This is the case even amid claims that the former Reds forward was simply using interest from his old club as a bargaining tool in contract negotiations. But the bookies usually know what they’re talking about.
The internet went crazy when Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Jose Semedo stated in an interview with TalkSport on October 28 that Ronaldo told him that he wanted to come back to England before the end of his career.
Who is Jose Semedo and how does he know Ronaldo?
Semedo plays as an industrious midfielder for Championship side Sheffield Wednesday. Semedo and Ronaldo were together in the Sporting Lisbon academy between 1998 and 2002. The two are still close and actually holidayed together earlier this year, as documented by Semedo on Twitter.
Will Ronaldo actually come back to Manchester United?
Semedo says that while Ronaldo is "very happy at Real Madrid", he loves English football and doesn’t want to finish his career "without coming back to England". While the three-time Ballon D’Or winner frequently proclaims his love for his old club, it seems he loves Real Madrid more.
Semedo even claims that Ronaldo told him that he wishes Real Madrid was in England just so he could play in the Premier League again! So, while Ronaldo may or may not want to come back to England, it is worth noting that 32Red and 888Sport are offering odds on a summer transfer to United’s arch rivals, Manchester City.
It is no secret that Manchester United have tried and failed to re-sign the player on numerous occasions. Beginning in the summer of 2013, David Moyes attempted to sign both Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. It seems not even a phone call from Rio Ferdinand could convince Ronaldo to come back! Instead, Moyes had to make do with rushing through a deadline day move for Everton’s Marouane Fellaini as his only summer signing.
What would it take to make the transfer happen?
According to football reporter Antony Kastrinakis of The Sun, Sir Alex Ferguson has been attempting to persuade Ronaldo to return to United. Kastrinakis says that the former United manager had dinner with the player following Real Madrid’s Champions League loss against Schalke in March. Kastrinakis goes on to say that Ronaldo could leave at the end of the 2015/16 season.
Quite simply, a transfer back to Manchester United all depends on Ronaldo. As stated previously, it is widely known that United want the player they sold to Real Madrid back in 2009, after six years of service. And it is clear that the club are hardly likely to refuse if Ronaldo expresses his desire to return.
How much would Ronaldo cost?
Real Madrid purchased the player for a then-world record fee of £80 million but that was when he was 24 years old. As late as September 2014, reports claimed that United would have to pay at least £140 million to reacquire his services.
Yet while Ronaldo is undoubtedly still among the best players in the world, the fact is that he is now 30 years old. With this in mind, one could argue that he is not worth such a high price, even with the wealth of publicity, endorsements and everything else that the club would garner as a result of such a coup.
A more realistic figure was touted by Spanish football expert Pete Johnson, who estimates that '
a bid from Manchester United in the region of £65 million' would convince Los Blancos to cash in on their star player. Whatever the truth of the matter, it is clear that when it comes to Ronaldo, the rumour mill will simply not stop spinning until at least next summer.
Written by Ketan Patel
