Real Madrid Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Rumours
Real Madrid could struggle with any attempt to sell Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer, as no team is prepared to meet his transfer fee or pay his huge wages, according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.
The Portuguese superstar has been regularly linked with a move away from the Bernabeu in recent months, with both Paris Saint-Germain and former club Manchester United rumoured to be interested, per theย Sun's Antony Kastrinakis.
Balague, writing for Sky Sports, believes it is time for Real to "moveย on the Cristiano Ronaldo era," but he said they will find it difficult to sell him even if they want to:
"The stories surfacing at the moment suggest that Real and Ronaldo have tried to look for a way out this summer. The FIFA-imposed transfer ban leaves Real in a dilemma. If they decide to keep Ronaldo until the summer, the ban could see him stay for another year, so it's either get rid of him now or in two years.
I must stress, though, at this particular time nobody is willing to pay what it would take to sign Ronaldo, which currently stands at โฌ25 million (ยฃ19.5 million) net in wages, a long contract, and in excess of โฌ60 million (ยฃ46.7 million) to Real Madrid.
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Ronaldo is now 31 and, in theory, closing in on the end of his career. Eden Hazard has been heavily linked with a move to Real and would likely be the long-term replacement for Ronaldo at the Bernabeu, per Matt Law in theย Telegraph.
Ronaldo remains a hugely attractive target for a number of clubs, as his goal return continues to be remarkable, and his influence could still be huge at the highest level, per Squawka:
Given his continuing good form, Real could still cash in on the player for whom they paid United ยฃ80 million in 2009.
Give it another couple of years, though, and he will undoubtedly not be worth as much.
Hence the reported eagerness from Real to sell him on now, but it seems as though they will have to drop their asking price if they want to move him in the summer before their transfer ban kicks in.ย
The sale of Ronaldo could help to fund a new generation of Galacticos at Real.ย Borussia Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 26, has been heavily linked with a move to Madrid, having admitted it is his "childhood dream" to play for Los Blancos, per France'sย L'Equipeย (via theย Mirror'sย Liam Prenderville).ย
The Gabon international has been in incredible form this seasonโscoring 21 goals in as many Bundesliga appearancesโand would be a terrific addition to Zinedine Zidane's squad, per WhoScored.com.
However,ย Balagueย believes a move for Aubameyang to Real in the summer is highly unlikely: "It is almost impossible for this deal to happen in the summer. He is under contract at Dortmund until 2020, and the Bundesliga club have no intention of letting him go."
Real do need to rebuild slightly in the summer. They have a formidable squad but are wildly inconsistent and effectivelyย out of this season's La Liga title race, as they sit nine points back from leaders Barcelona, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:
However, moving on Ronaldo and bringing inย Aubameyang look to be moves Real may struggle with, and they could be forced to look elsewhere in the transfer market.ย
