Manchester United Transfer News: Cristiano Ronaldo Dream, Ryan Sessegnon Rumours

Manchester United are reportedly refusing to give up on their dream of bringing Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford amid speculation executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is "consumed" by the idea of a return for the Portugal international.

According to James Robson of the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils "will pay whatever necessary" to bring their former poster boy back to the club, and Woodward is said to be the figure steering that obsession.

Real Madrid's willingness to sell is the stumbling block, however, and a large one at that. What's more, United can expect Real's stance on a sale to only harden if Ronaldo successfully guides his side to a third UEFA Champions League title in four seasons.

This wouldn't be the first time there's been hope the Portugal captain would return to United, though. As Robson pointed out, the speculation can be traced back almost as far as his departure from England in 2009:

Woodward succeeded former executive vice-chairman David Gill in 2013, and Robson's report mentioned that the incumbent has been given reason to believe he could be the man to execute a return—albeit to no effect thus far.

There's also the matter of whether Ronaldo would rejoin his former club at 32 years of age, and ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan has hinted at how his talents have been taken to the next level since moving to Spain eight years ago:

Ronaldo has another four years left to run on the contract he signed in Madrid last November, not to mention the fact Real continue to compete for the highest honours—with the veteran forward still a key piece of their puzzle.

To all intents and purposes, the deal seems like an impossible one to strike while Real can meet the financial and silverware expectations of their star.

Benchwarmers recently illustrated how Ronaldo's European record in particular has risen to greatness with Real:

"

Another sensational Ronaldo Champions League statistic...⚽️ pic.twitter.com/XFI0T8hQUF

— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) May 4, 2017"

Any potential deal this summer can be ruled out if United fail to finish in the Premier League's top four, and even if they do, the club doesn't hold nearly as much prestige as it did upon Ronaldo's departure.

For those reasons, Woodward may never succeed in bringing about Ronaldo's reunion with the Red Devils, unless the forward returned as a much more experienced player in the years to come.

Elsewhere, Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has dismissed rumours United target Ryan Sessegnon will leave Craven Cottage after a breakthrough season, per Charlie Phillippe of the Daily Express.

"I am confident he will be a Fulham player. It not just depends on myself but depends on different sides too, but I believe this is right place for him," Jokanovic said.

"He is a young player and he needs to learn—he needs the minutes with us and I believe he is in the right place for building himself and to be ready for an important step that is in front of him. All his life he is with Fulham and I am sure he is confident with us—I believe he has detected improvement and I believe he believes he's in the right place."

GLYN KIRK/Getty Images

Sessegnon, 16, has burst on to the scene in the Championship this term and become a consistent member of Fulham's starting XI in the second half of the campaign, starting in 21 of his 30 appearances across all competitions.

United manager Jose Mourinho has shown an unwillingness to play Luke Shaw at times this season and could do with reinforcements in the position, although Sessegnon may not be ready for such demands just yet.