Manchester United Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo, Arturo Vidal Dual Blow Dealt

Carlo Ancelotti is the latest Real Madrid representative to confirm Cristiano Ronaldo won't be heading back to Manchester United in the future.

The Italian manager has joined Los Blancos president Florentino Perez and Jorge Mendes, Ronaldo's agent, in suggesting the iconic forward will end his career at the Bernabeu. As reported by The Sun's Anthony Kastrinakis (subscription needed), via Matt Morlidge of the Daily Mail, Ancelotti is certain an Old Trafford return isn't happening for Ronaldo:

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Everyone can be changed and substituted but Ronaldo is now the best in the world and it means Madrid lose the best player which is a huge loss. But this won't happen. Because Ronaldo will go to the end of his career at Real Madrid. I'm 100 percent certain he will be here next season not at Manchester United—100 percent.

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Ancelotti continued by confirming Ronaldo is "happy here, he's loved here by everyone." The boss spoke of "a perfect relationship" before reiterating, "Ronaldo will finish his career here."

Such quotes shouldn't surprise United fans. Real Madrid have done all they can to indicate the player isn't being sold.

This started long before Guillem Balague of Sky Sports and B/R UK revealed "everything is in place" for United to reclaim his signature. Ancelotti's comments are eerily similar to those of Perez from 2013, when he told L'Equipe (h/t the Press Association, via The Guardian), "He's (Ronaldo's) the world's greatest player and I can now say that he will end his career at Real Madrid."

Mendes previously told Cadena COPE, via Sky Sports, that Ronaldo is "going to break all the records with Real Madrid and he's going to retire here." He suggested it is "impossible" for the player to leave, and football writer SamuelJayC highlighted why:

It's easy to see the Madrid machine turning. Reports of Ronaldo's potential exit certainly gathered momentum after Balague's aforementioned suggestion, but the European champions are doing all they can to make it a non-issue. Whether it would take €1 billion to lure him away is another matter.

It's likely the truth is somewhere in the middle here. Ronaldo would undoubtedly be extremely expensive, but the player could dictate a move back to United, just like he played a major role in his exit.

He has 17 goals in just nine games across La Liga and the Champions League this season—registering an incredible seven shots at goal per game, recorded by WhoScored.com—so it's easy to see why Madrid are avidly trying to confirm his future. United will be linked to him no matter what, even if the player admits he has no intention of coming back to England.

The same could be said of Arturo Vidal, who is likely to join Wesley Sneijder on the list of players United could, and perhaps should, have snapped up during their prime. Louis van Gaal was linked with a move for the Chilean midfielder all summer, and Chile coach Jorge Sampaoliis told El Mercurio (h/t the London Evening Standard's Richard Parry) United held back their bid due to the player's serious knee injury.

As evidenced by Sky Sports' Nadia Carminati, after Vidal's alleged "night on the town," mentions of United's former interest seemed to resurface, particularly as he missed Juventus' match with Roma shortly after the incident. Massimiliano Allegri confirmed this was a tactical decision and even left him out of the team that drew with Sassuolo.

Vidal is happy nonetheless, per Nick Lustig of the Daily Star: "My rapport with everyone at Juventus is very good. My teammates, the coaching staff and the directors have trust in me and I in them. I am 100 per cent committed to my club and to Chile. I hope to win titles with both these teams."

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Allegri also recently confirmed Vidal won't be joining United, telling BBC World Focus (h/t Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express), "This season Vidal is a Juventus player and I think there’s no possibility that in January he’ll go to Manchester."

As ever, it seems United will have to offer huge sums to get the players they want. While Ronaldo's return would be a luxury signing, Vidal should be considered an essential purchase. Allegri and Juventus know this, so it's possible the Italian side can hold United to ransom. Whether Van Gaal takes the bait, however, remains to be seen.

The Dutch manager will most likely have to pay over the odds for any of his January purchases. Winter transfers are often more expensive due to selling sides wanting more compensation for losing potentially key players during the middle of the season. Throw in the knowledge that United desperately need to improve their squad, and it's likely hefty cash will need to be thrown around.

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Whether United are close to fourth or not come January, it seems significant investment will be needed. A failure to qualify for the Champions League would be disastrous for the Red Devils, who simply need the cash of Europe's elite club competition to ensure major purchases such as Ronaldo and Vidal can be facilitated further down the line.