Real Madrid Transfer News: Carlo Ancelotti Deals United Cristiano Ronaldo Blow

Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed he expects Cristiano Ronaldo to retire at the club, in what’ll be a blow to reported suitors Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Reports from David McDonnell at the Mirror had surfaced recently suggesting a £90 million bid from either United or PSG would be enough to prise the Portuguese away from the Santiago Bernabeu. But Ancelotti told Le Parisien (h/t Mark Rodden of ESPN FC) he thinks Ronaldo will remain a Madrid player for the rest of his playing days.

“I don't know,” said the Italian when asked whether he could foresee Ronaldo playing for the French champions next season. “Last week he created history at Real Madrid by levelling Raul's record. I don't see Cristiano Ronaldo changing club. I think he'll finish his career at Real Madrid where everyone likes him.”

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Ronaldo is likely to break Raul’s goalscoring record with Los Blancos soon. The Portuguese currently stands level with the Madrid great on 323 goals for the club, but he’s been far from his very best on a consistent basis so far this campaign.

As noted here by Squawka Football, particularly on the domestic front, Ronaldo seems have lost his ruthlessness in front of goal:

However, while Ancelotti says Ronaldo is liked by everyone at Real Madrid, he doesn’t receive quite the amount of adulation you would expect for a player who has achieved so much. Indeed, most Madridistas would say Raul is a much more iconic forward than the current incumbent of the revered No. 7 jersey.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Spanish football expert Rafael Hernandez offered some insight into why that may be the case with a lot of the club’s supporters:

Still, it’s tough to put down Ronaldo’s achievements and had it not been for a Barcelona team who became arguably the finest side of all time, his goals would have fired this group to more silverware. If anything, the eminent presence of the Blaugrana at the summit of Spanish and European football seems to have galvanised the Portuguese into scaling great heights.

As FourFourTwo’s Sam Pilger touched upon here, it’s allowed Ronaldo to tot up an astonishing amount of goals in remarkably quick time for the club:

With trophies won, records broken and a legendary status accrued, perhaps Ronaldo will want to move on and sample a new challenge. Returning to United may be appealing, as he remains idolised by the Old Trafford crowd, while the prospect of firing PSG to their maiden European triumph would surely be an enticing challenge for a player who remains hugely competitive.

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/Getty Images

Real would surely be loath to sell such a key man. Ronaldo may be 31 next year, but he’s kept himself in immaculate shape and is likely to continue swinging football matches his team’s way for many more seasons to come. Even with all the money in the world, that quality is one that is enormously challenging to replace.