adminMADRID. — Paris Saint Germain have been quoted a mammoth €1 billion (£728 million) asking price by Real Madrid for star forward Cristiano Ronaldo. The Ligue 1 giants, bankrolled by the Qatar Investment Authority, had been linked with a move for Ronaldo during the summer transfer window and were reported to have made an offer of £87m for him on deadline day.
However, Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has since confirmed that even that sum would fall well short of the Spanish club’s valuation. Perez told radio station Cadena COPE: “If PSG want Cristiano Ronaldo it’s simple, they have to pay the €1 billion release clause.” He added: “No one is a prophet in football, but we don’t want to sell him in 2016, he still has three years left on his contract.”
Ronaldo joined Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 for a then world-record fee of £80m. In six seasons so far at the Santiago Bernabeu, he has broken slew of scoring records. He has netted 313 goals in 302 appearances in all competitions and has not had a seasonal tally of less than 50 since his first campaign.
Ronaldo has helped Madrid to seven trophies during his time at the club, with the 2013-14 Champions League title standing out as the crowning achievement of a glittering haul.
Individually, he also claimed FIFA’s prestigious Balon d’Or award consecutively in 2013 and 2014. Rumours of Ronaldo’s potential exit from Madrid surfaced in the summer when the 30-year-old was reported to be frustrated with new manager Rafa Benitez’ training sessions.
Spanish newspaper AS claimed that Ronaldo was unhappy with a particular drill that involved hitting the ball at the crossbar. “It’s meant to be the ball in there, in the net. Not this s***,” Ronaldo was reported to have said. Meanwhile, his former teammate, Rio Ferdinand has admitted he no longer enjoys watching Manchester United play and that they lack “explosive fantasy” to excite supporters or win the Premier League.
The former Old Trafford defender was scathing in his assessment of manager Louis van Gaal’s vaunted philosophy, unleashing several criticisms about the current state of affairs, epitomised by having to play Daley Blind at centre back.
As well as labelling the Dutch international a “weak spot”, the six-time Premier League winner feels his old club are nowhere near regaining the title, or the attacking brand of football that Sir Alex Ferguson instilled.
“Everything. In terms of players, the personnel are completely different and the way they play. You associate Man United with pace and power, explosive fantasy in the final third, but that’s not the way it is now,’ the he said, speaking at the launch of BT Sport’s Champions League coverage in London
“Man United fans (are) having to re-educate themselves on how you go in there and what you’re going to see. You’re not going to see what you saw for the last 25 years. “It will be a completely different type of football, not football I enjoy watching as much and probably most Man United fans are like that. It’s methodical and really slow going side to side whereas before it was “bang, go”.
“He (Van Gaal) has got a clear idea of how he wants the team to play. It’s very methodical, getting the ball through the team not very quickly, keeping the ball from side to side and waiting for an opening and the time to come for a glaring opportunity to go forward.
“The only thing that is similar is if they do win the ball high up, it seems like he wants them to go for the jugular straight away.” — Mailonline.
Online Reporter