Cristiano Ronaldo and Pepe Spark Manchester City, United Transfer Battle Rumours

Cristiano Ronaldo being wanted by a club from Manchester seems par for the course for every transfer window. Only usually, it's Manchester United trying to bring Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.

While that's still an ongoing angle, United's local rivals Manchester City are reportedly now keen. A report in The Sun (h/t Jack De Menezes of The Independent), suggests that City director of football Txiki Begiristain has even discussed a possible world-record summer bid with Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes.

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Ronaldo coming back to England's north West is a rumour that just won't die. It can't be extinguished no matter how well Ronaldo is playing for Real Madrid or how settled he seems in the Spanish capital.

For a reminder, as if it were needed, here's how dominant Ronaldo has been this season for Los Blancos: He's scored 28 league goals in just 18 La Liga games this season, per ESPN FC.

Ronaldo is the reason Los Merengues currently lead the way in Spain. He's also won the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup within the last 12 months.

He doesn't have the look of a player who's eager to move. It seems even less likely Madrid would consider selling.

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Assistant boss Paul Clement recently addressed the ongoing speculation regarding Madrid's top players, including Ronaldo. Clement dismissed the talk as merely the "nature of this game and at a big club like this with such talented players," per London Evening Standard reporters Amar Singh and Ashish Sharma.

Clement's view makes sense, but it's unlikely to quiet the speculation, especially during a transfer window. Even veteran centre-back Pepe can't avoid it.

He's also thought to be in the middle of an imminent City-United spending tussle, according to Daily Express reporter Jamie Anderson. At least there's some credence here.

Pepe has long been on City's radar. The burly Portugal international faces an uncertain future amid talks about a contract extension, and City have already made enquiries about the player, per Manchester Evening News reporter Anthony Jepson.

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However, Pepe still looks about as likely to move as Ronaldo. Mendes is also Pepe's agent, and he's insisted that the defender won't be leaving Madrid any time soon, per Spanish outlet La Sexta (h/t Daily Mail writer Richard Arrowsmith).

That claim followed Marca reporters Jose Felix Diaz and Jose Luis Calderon stating that manager Carlo Ancelotti still values Pepe, even rating him a "long way above" precocious talent Raphael Varane.

Both United and City could use a centre-back as commanding and uncompromising as Pepe. United gaffer Louis van Gaal needs better talent at the back to make his 3-5-2 formation work. Meanwhile, City manager Manuel Pellegrini just can't seem to find the right player to fit alongside skipper Vincent Kompany.

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But the 31-year-old is clearly still a key figure at Madrid. He's unlikely to walk away from that role easily.

Admiring eyes are being cast from Manchester to Madrid, but supporters of both City and United shouldn't count on seeing either Ronaldo or Pepe don either side's colours any time soon.