Real Madrid Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo Eyed in PSG Plan, Latest Rumours

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly set to launch a major effort to land Real Madrid talisman Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, with money said to be "no object" for the French champions.

That’s according to L’Equipe (h/t Marca), who also said the Ligue 1 juggernauts are eyeing Barcelona man Neymar and will have no issues when it comes to meeting his €175 million release clause.

The Marca report suggested that with Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s PSG contract to expire this summer, the club are seeking a new leading figure.

"PSG may well try to take advantage of their excellent relationship with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes, who last year successfully engineered the €63 million transfer of Angel Di Maria from Manchester United to the Parc des Princes," it’s noted by Marca.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Ronaldo is certainly one of only a few players in world football who would be capable of filling any void left by Ibrahimovic. Here’s how the Madrid man, Neymar and the Swede all compare in league matches this season:

	Ronaldo	Neymar	Ibrahimovic
Apps (Sub)	34	32	26 (2)
Goals	31	23	34
Assists	11	10	13
Shots per game	6.4	3.7	4.9
Key passes per game	1.4	3	1.6
Dribbles per game	1.5	4.2	1.2

The links between the 31-year-old and the Paris giants have been around for a long time. According to Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague, speaking on the podcast of La Liga Weekly, Real Madrid have actually been seeking to offload the striker throughout the campaign, but "unless someone comes with the money for both parties, Ronaldo is there to stay."

Given just how wonderfully Ronaldo has performed since joining the capital club in 2009, it’s almost impossible to imagine a Madrid team without him.

Of course, there will come a time when it’s inevitable for the player and football club to go their separate ways, but as the above numbers illustrate, he’s still a premier goalscorer. And as these goals against Wolfsburg in a UEFA Champions League fightback confirmed, Ronaldo is still capable of hauling Real to wins, per BT Sport Football:

The man himself may fancy a different kind of challenge, though. While PSG are comfortably the finest team in the French top flight, potentially pushing them to a maiden Champions League success, and being handsomely paid to do so, could be an enticing proposition for Ronaldo.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

He’s already accomplished so much with Real as well. The former Manchester United man has won the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey while becoming the football club’s all-time record goalscorer in astonishingly quick time. There’s nothing left for him to prove in the iconic all-white jersey.

The Daily Telegraph’s Paul Hayward noted just how much of an influence Ronaldo has had on Los Blancos:

Of the two players mentioned, Neymar would arguably be a better signing for PSG. Not in terms of quality alone but definitely with longevity in mind and giving a player the chance to become the main man at a football club; that's something the Brazilian will never be while Lionel Messi remains at the Camp Nou.

Ronaldo, similarly, will always be the alpha at the Santiago Bernabeu, and it’s why Real can’t let him go yet. Not only is Ronaldo scoring goals as consistently as ever, he’s grown into a godlike figure in Madrid. He’d be impossible to replace in the hearts of supporters, as well as on the field.