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http://thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article1316348.ece
Ronaldo: I'm close to joining Real
Published: 19 Jun 2008
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CRISTIANO RONALDO has dramatically claimed his Manchester United career is over.
Just minutes after crashing out of Euro 2008 with Portugal tonight, the winger insisted he was close to fulfilling his dream of joining Real Madrid.
Ronaldo, 23, said: "The possibility of me going to Madrid is great. There is a concrete offer.
"We're going to talk about it and try to reach a deal."
The former Sporting Lisbon star - rated in the £60million-plus bracket - has been desperate for Real to contact United directly.
But the Spanish giants have toned down their overtures in recent days after United complained to football's world rulers.
FIFA cleared Real of an illegal approach for the Premier League's player of the year, who finished the season with a staggering 41 goals.
But Madrid will regard Ronaldo's outburst as the green light they want to press ahead.
Real general director Miguel Angel Arroyo said earlier tonight: “We are waiting for Ronaldo to say something.
"As soon as he says he wants to play for Real Madrid there will be conversations between the two clubs.
“We would willingly reach an agreement with Manchester United if they want to sell and if the price was affordable.”
Ronaldo only signed a lengthy United deal last season.
But his revelations tonight will heap pressure on Old Trafford chiefs to reconsider their hardline approach.
Boss Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted he would rather let Ronaldo rot in the reserves than give in to player power.
But United might prefer to cash in on an unhappy player - then splash out on two or three replacements - instead of making a stand that they might struggle to maintain.
And there is still the possibility - first revealed in SunSport - that Ronaldo could go on strike to secure a move.