Real Madrid Transfer News: Latest on Cristiano Ronaldo and Major January Rumours

Real Madrid have received the boost of Cristiano Ronaldo apparently wanting to stay put and resist a return to the Premier League. But Los Blancos could be ready to snare two stars of England's top division this January, in the form of Chelsea midfielders Ramires and Eden Hazard.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

Beginning with Ronaldo, the powerful and insanely prolific Portuguese forward has turned down the chance to reunite with old club Manchester United, per Daily Mirror reporter David Anderson:

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We'll have to speak to Florentino about extending my contract.

I'm very happy, enjoying life and in great form. I try to give my best out on the pitch and achieve everything possible for the club because the thing I like the most is winning.

I hope to stay at Real Madrid until the end of my contract when I'm 33 and we'll see if the president wants to extend it for a few more years.

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Talk of Ronaldo returning to Old Trafford has rumbled on since the summer. Back in September, Spanish football pundit Guillem Balague stated on Sky Sports' Revista de la Liga show that Ronaldo would make the move back to Manchester, per SkySports.com:

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He is unhappy and he’s said so – but then he corrected himself by saying ‘I didn’t mean what he said’. It was a bit confusing.

Anyway, you have to say he’s not happy that Ozil left and he didn’t like the fact that Xabi Alonso and Di Maria left.

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I have a pretty good idea of when he wants to go. It won’t be this month or next month, but he wants to go back to Manchester United and everything is in place for him to return to Old Trafford.

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Speaking of Angel Di Maria, perhaps his move back to the Santiago Bernabeu could assuage any of Ronaldo's issues. In one of the bolder transfer rumours in recent months, Daily Star reporter Chisanga Malata has suggested Di Maria will return to Real Madrid, while Welsh winger Gareth Bale signs for United:

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The former Chelsea manager's frustration with Bale has reportedly left him longing for the return of Angel Di Maria, who joined United for £60m earlier this summer.

Spanish newspaper El Econamista suggest that Ancelotti is willing to offer Bale to United in order to try and lure Di Maria back to the Bernabeu.

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Di Maria appears to have cut a frustrated figure for United since signing toward the end of the summer window. Former Red Devils great Paul Scholes believes the mercurial Argentine schemer isn't taking to life at Old Trafford, per The Independent:

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My concern is that the mood among the United players feels a bit low-key. Preparing for the broadcast of the game in Madrid this week, I watched reruns of last season and Angel Di Maria smiling broadly as he celebrated goal after goal with Cristiano Ronaldo. He doesn’t seem to be in the same happy mood at United. It feels downbeat among the team.

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It may be too soon into Di Maria's United career to begin guessing his mood, but there's no doubt a possible return to Madrid would please Ronaldo. Di Maria notched 22 assists last season while playing in a centralised role in manager Carlo Ancelotti's team, per WhoScored.com.

Many of those passes helped create goals for Ronaldo. However, one problem with this rumour appears to be Bale's reluctance to move.

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur ace recently told the BBC's Football Focus show how he's inspired by Ronaldo's example, per BBC Sport:

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The amount of goals he scores and what he does for the team is incredible.

Nobody is living up to that at. At the moment he's on another level to everyone else.

By seeing him in training and in games it gives me that kind of platform to aim for and keep improving, and hopefully one day I can get there.

If you don't want to be the world's best you probably shouldn't be playing football.

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Bale certainly doesn't sound like a man set for the exit door. Yet that hasn't stopped rumours regarding his departure from circulating.

Not content with linking Bale to a swap deal with United, another Star report from Malata has suggested Los Merengues' boss Ancelotti will use the sale of Bale to help land Hazard:

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Bale, 25, has been heavily linked with a move away from the Spanish capital after reports suggested Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti is unhappy with the former Tottenham star.

Sources in Spain suggest Manchester United are eager to sign the Welshman and are willing to offer the European champions a staggering £90m to acquire his services.

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Several publications in Spain have suggested Real are willing to sell Bale to United and are planning to sign Hazard as his replacement.

Hazard, 23, has been a long-term target for the Spanish giants, and Ancelotti is reportedly a huge admirer of Belgian international.

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As a pacy, dynamic and creative wide forward, Hazard fits the kind of free-flowing and quick-breaking attacking football Ancelotti loves his teams to play.

However, it's difficult to imagine Premier League leaders Chelsea willingly parting ways with the 23-year-old Belgian sensation. Hazard's speed and trickery have made him vital in Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's fondness for ruthlessly efficient counter-attacking football.

The former Lille ace has provided three goals and an assist to help inspire the Blues' unbeaten start to the league campaign, per ESPN FC. Hazard has blossomed into a true match-winner for Mourinho's perfectly balanced squad.

Ancelotti may have a better chance of securing Ramires. Goal.com reporter Wayne Veysey claims the Blues will sell the Brazil international in January, provided Madrid make the right offer:

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Jose Mourinho has told Stamford Bridge chiefs that he would be prepared for the Brazilian to leave if a proven midfield replacement can be found.

Spanish clubs, led by Real Madrid, are understood to be monitoring the availability of Ramires.

The 27-year-old has struggled with injury and poor form this season, starting just three of the team's 16 matches in all competitions.

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The one-time Benfica star is a perfect fit for Madrid. Muscle in midfield is perhaps the only thing missing from Ancelotti's deep and star-studded squad.

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Ramires offers that quality as a tireless and powerful runner in the middle. He's a tough tackler capable of breaking up play, as well as energetic and forward-thinking enough to make a quick transition from defending to attacking.

Ancelotti currently relies on skilled but slight pass masters Luka Modric and Toni Kroos at the base of his midfield. Adding a player with Ramires' rugged qualities would simply add another string to Madrid's bow.

Ramires is certainly a more realistic target than Hazard and will be easier to get than reuniting with Di Maria.