Cristiano Ronaldo's return: A glorious possibility or a fool’s hope?

Cristiano Ronaldo – where will he move to?

Cristiano Ronaldo has been quoted to have said that “he was unhappy” at Real Madrid and he was not getting the appreciation that he deserved. That was the beginning of a series of rumours and speculations regarding his future, although all that was akin to your old flame that is not over — one whom you assumed has moved on and is happy — isn’t actually happy and that they might be open to the idea of reconnecting with you.

Now that the season is over and Manchester United are looking to make a marquee signing under David Moyes, Ronaldo looks like an ideal player to make a statement of intent. The transfer saga took another twist when reports emerged about a renewal of contract by Real president Florentino Perez. Add to that the deeper pockets of the vultures, i.e. Monaco and PSG, and you get the picture getting cloudy.

The pendulum of ‘he would transfer, he would transfer not’ swung again yesterday when the man in question Ronaldo, himself, tweeted:

What could it all mean? One, he could really be interested in moving from Real Madrid and that was his way of coming out into the open regarding his intent. Two, this could all be a part of his contract wrangling to work out a raise. The tweet really does not change anything that we don’t know about already, other than the fact that either way he is serious.

Let’s have a hard look at the feasibility of this move. Financially, the move is possible with the ‘significant extra resources’ that United could procure. Add to that Nike’s willingness to add their funds. Remember that the Portuguese superstar has a sponsorship deal with Nike, as does United, while Madrid have a deal with rivals Adidas. There was another recent report — one that many news sources ran with — that indicated Moyes will have a transfer kitty in the region of around £60 million this summer. Add to that the possible funds obtained out of the exodus of players like Rooney, Nani and Anderson in the range of about £40-55 million in transfer fees, while their combined wages would also free up an additional £38 million over the next two years. Hypothetically, even if United spend £65 million on CR7, they would still have enough to pursue the midfielders that they have been looking for.

Gareth Bale’s situation at Tottenham remains a pivotal point of discussion for Ronaldo’s move as Real Madrid have reportedly shown interest in him. And if they do offer the required £85 million, then a Ronaldo move is almost likely.

Anyway, none of this is concrete and all the rumours and discussions would be moot if Ronaldo signs a new contract. But till then, fans can always indulge in their glorious fantasy of a counter-attacking quartet of Ronaldo, Kagawa, Zaha and Van Persie.

All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false.

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) June 13, 2013