Ronaldo Agrees Real Deal?

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Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has made an agreement to join Real Madrid next summer with Los Merengues president Ramon Calderon, according to guillembalague.com.

23-year-old Ronaldo, who has just been crowned FIFA World Player of the Year had been heavily tipped to leave Old Trafford for the Bernabeu in the summer. After a drawn out saga of ‘will he, wont he’ leave the Premier League Champions last summer for the La Liga giants.

Although no deal has been made with United, who are adamant that Ronaldo will stay in the Premiership. It is claimed that Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes have come to an agreement for the Portuguese International to leave England for Spain at the end of the season.

Calderon is understood to have sanctioned the structure of the move, according to the Spanish website, which will smash the previous world record transfer of Zinedine Zidane to Real from Juventus in 2001 for £46million.

Real are believed to have set aside €85million for the transfer itself as well as an additional fund of €30million to cover any add-ons, signing fees and clauses, which could take the total cost in luring Ronaldo to the La Liga side to as much as €115million. Ronaldo is said to be in line for €12million a year, while his agent Mendes stands to pocket a cool €8million from the deal.

Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, will find it hard to resist any such offer for Ronaldo, but if the winger has indeed agreed in principle to end his time at Old Trafford and leave for Real Madrid. Then Ferguson has already shown in the past by allowing Jaap Stam and David Beckham to leave United that no player is bigger than the club.

Villa Line Up Young Spaniard?

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Eugenio Botas, who is the agent of left-back Roberto Canella at Portuguese side Sporting Gijon has revealed that Premier League club Aston Villa have shown an interest in the young Spaniard.

20-year-old Canella has been at Gijon since 1999, with the young defender coming through the youth ranks at the Rojiblancos to make his senior debut at El Molinon in 2006.

Canella is valued at £11million by the Portuguese side, with it understood that the Villans are prepared to offer £10million to bring the youngster to the Premiership. However, Botas has claimed that Villa boss Martin O’Neill will have to meet the full valuation before any decision can be taken on the defender joining the Midlands club.

“If Aston Villa put all the money on the table, all the parts will have to make a decision,” Botas told Setanta Sports.



Canella has welcomed the interest from Villa, but has insisted that any transfer talk is something to be discussed between his agent and his club.

“I had no idea of this news, that’s the first time I hear about it. I’m happy at Sporting, focused on fighting to stay up, so that kind of stuff must be discussed by my agent and by Sporting,” he said.

“For sure it’s always a pleasure when such a club as Aston Villa, with the history they have, are interested in you, and it means that both the team and myself are doing things the right way.

“I’m proud but focused on Sporting.”

Ferguson: Ronaldo Must Accept Treatment

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has conceded that Portuguese International Cristiano Ronaldo must learn to live and deal with the treatment that the winger is receiving on the pitch this season.

Since his comeback from injury in the Premier League this season, Balon d’Or winner has found the form of his last campaign hard to come by, with the former Sporting Lisbon player showing his frustration in a series of ill-disciplined incidents in recent weeks.

The latest incident saw the Red Devils talisman square up to Emanuel Pogatetz at Old Trafford in their Premiership encounter against Middlesbrough last Monday. This follows Ronaldo kicking out petulantly at Celtic player Scott Brown in the Champions League along with Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson and Andy Wilkinson of Stoke City.

This sentiment has been echoed by Ferguson, but the United boss has also claimed that this sort of treatment comes with the territory and that Ronaldo must learn to accept and deal with the close attention he receives.

“Of course I can understand Cristiano's frustration," said Ferguson.

“Enough has been said about it already but I can understand it.

“He has produced little moments of displeasure at the treatment he is getting.

“They are trivial things, but as he has said himself, because it is Ronaldo it is magnified.

“That is the penalty for being a great player. He has to understand that.”

Portuguese International To Return To Spurs In Hutton Swap Deal?

New Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp is reportedly keen on bringing Glasgow Rangers midfielder Pedro Mendes back to White Hart Lane after selling the former Spurs player to the Gers in the summer, while in charge of Portsmouth. With speculation suggesting that Alan Hutton could go the other way as part of a swap deal with the Scottish side.

Redknapp reluctantly sold the Portuguese International to the SPL giants in the summer for £3million, with reports suggesting that 29-year-old Mendes was unhappy at the South Coast club, despite being an integral part of Pompey’s FA Cup winning team last season and regaining his place in the side towards the end of the campaign.

Mendes has impressed in the SPL this season, with the ‘Old Firm’ team in fine form, which has gained the midfielder a recall to the Portuguese team. With Mendes now wanted by Redknapp at Tottenham as the former West Ham United manager sets about putting his own mark on the squad at the North London club.

One, possibility which has been speculated about is a return to Glasgow for Spurs defender Alan Hutton, who it has been rumoured is unhappy at Tottenham after his £9million transfer from Rangers to White Hart Lane in January, with a possible swap-deal with Mendes being mooted.

However, Gers manager Walter Smith is unlikely to want to sell Mendes, who has been outstanding in the absence of captain Barry Ferguson for Rangers, with the former Scotland boss also unlikely to want Hutton back in Glasgow after the Scottish International’s transfer deadline day decision to leave in January after initially turning down a move to Tottenham.