The Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer Saga

It is getting to be that time of year again. Manchester United are in the Champions League and the rumors have begun again about Cristiano Ronaldo going to Madrid.

There is a lot of noise coming out of Spain and most of it is rubbish. As we reported on our La Liga site, Florentino Perez, the man who brought Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham to Real Madrid will announce his candidacy for the Real Madrid club presidency on Thursday. Perez is the hands down favorite to win election on June 14th.

It is the Perez candidacy that is the catalyst for the latest Ronaldo stories.

What is interesting is that the respected Spanish newspaper El Pais  says that Real Madrid last year signed a deal with Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo. The deal with Man United was that they would sell Ronaldo if after July 1 Madrid offered a minimum of 80 million euros in transfer, payable in cash at once.

El Pais also claims that both sides have the right to terminate the agreement in the event that a party disclose the news before May 31.

Whether there story or the the recent comments by disgraced Real boss Ramon Calderon that a deal was in place and respected are enough to void the agreement is left unstated.

What I found most interesting in the El Pais article (it's in Spanish so use Google Translate if you cannot use Spanish) was the last two lines. Now Perez will have to decide whether to pay 80 million for Ronaldo or go for AC Milan’s Kaká, who would be cheaper allowing Real to be able to recruit more players. In the opinion of El Pais, the Kaka option is more attractive!

So what to make of the story. In today’s economy 80 million euros in cash is an incredible amount of money and it would be extremely difficult for United to turn down. They could probably buy Kaka and Tevez for that and still have money left over. What I find interesting is that United have not resigned Tevez, and that makes me think that Ronaldo is staying. If Ronaldo was leaving, and a 80 million euros was coming to Old Trafford, I think the Carlos Tevez deal would be done by now.

For Real, this is all about politics and running for office. Perez obviously wants to return to the Galactico period with the signing of a superstar. Ronaldo or Kaka would fit that bill. The problem I see from Madrid’s standpoint, is that they have so many holes that need filling, that spending their whole transfer budget on one player does not make sense. Buying Kaka for 40 million euros and then spending the rest on other players is a much more practical plan. By when have Madrid every been practical?

So will Ronaldo got to Spain? I don’t think so this year. I can see Kaka going, but I expect to see Ronaldo in red next summer.