The Times seem to be taken in with the story from Terra.......
Ronaldo comes clean: I want Real move
· Winger goes public with desire for Bernabéu switch
Old Trafford ready to resist expected £78m record bid
Cristiano Ronaldo has issued a come and get me plea to Real Madrid. Photograph: Patrick Hertzog/AFP/Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the news that Manchester United had been dreading last night when the world's most coveted footballer publicly declared that he wanted to leave the Champions League winners to join Real Madrid.
After several weeks of conflicting messages, broken promises and cryptic interviews, Ronaldo finally put an end to his prevaricating with a statement, released through the Brazilian website Terra, making no bones about the fact that his decision was financially motivated.
Real Madrid have promised to pay him a weekly salary in excess of £200,000, earning him around £12m a year, leaving Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes, to work on the best strategy of letting the football world know of his intentions.
"I want to play for Real Madrid, but only if it is true they are eager to pay me and Manchester United what they have been saying they will," said Ronaldo. "However, it does not depend on me."
That last sentence amounts to a public plea for United to relent on their previously immovable stance of refusing to entertain the idea of selling their most prized asset. The indications from Old Trafford last night, however, were that the club would not be willing to admit defeat without a considerable fight, with Sir Alex Ferguson willing to break off from a holiday in France and the chief executive, David Gill, insisting the club would not be backed into a corner, even in the face of a world-record bid of around £78m .
"Our position on Ronaldo remains as set out last week," said Gill, referring to Ferguson's insistence that the club would rather let the player rot in the reserves than do business with a club that, in their eyes, has brazenly flouted transfer rules and etiquette.
Those comments, it emerged last night, have gone down badly with Ronaldo, who seems to believe that United's gratitude for his contribution over the past two seasons, when he has scooped just about every footballer of the year award going, should be enough to allow him to fulfil his "dream" of playing at the Bernabéu. The 23-year-old, speaking from Portugal's Euro 2008 training camp in the Swiss city of Neuchâtel, was originally scheduled to meet the media today, although that is likely to be changed now, with Ronaldo insisting that he will not discuss the matter again until after the tournament.
"It is important to send a message," he said. "From now on, though, I will not talk again about this until the end of the European Championship. It is not worth asking me because I will not reply."
United's initial reaction was of shock - no one at Old Trafford had been informed of Ronaldo's intention to make a statement - but that quickly gave way to anger, and a crushing sense of disappointment, as they set about establishing the authenticity of the quotes.
Why Ronaldo should choose a Brazilian website to declare his decision is a mystery but Terra has a good reputation and, importantly, when Mendes was asked last night whether there was anything inaccurate to correct he chose against it.
Ferguson's reaction is, as yet, unknown, although it is safe to assume the manager is crestfallen at the latest developments. The same will apply to United's fanbase, although many supporters had already become resigned to this happening, with Ronaldo making so many transparent attempts to woo the Spanish media before changing his story when in the earshot of English journalists.
The question now is whether United stay true to their word and refuse to let player pressure affect their decision. Ferguson has spoken highly about the club's owners, the Glazers, recently and this, in many ways, will be one of the biggest challenges the Americans have faced since taking over the club three years ago. Real clearly believe they have the money to be able to finance the deal and it remains to be seen whether the Glazers can turn that down. If, however, United dig in their heels, the alternative is keeping hold of a player who has made it clear he no longer wishes to be a part of Ferguson's team and that, in turn, throws up the possibility of Ronaldo refusing to return to Manchester.
Ferguson's usual policy when he believes a player wants to leave - as seen when Ruud van Nistelrooy was sold to Madrid in 2006 - is not to stand in their way, but Ronaldo's sale would be a devastating blow to the club's hopes of establishing themselves as the best team in Europe over the next few years. By backing down, United also stand to lose face and, for the self-styled biggest club in the world, there might be no amount of money that can make up for that
