Social media was yesterday hit by what should be categorised as the biggest rumour of this summer so far. A number of sources yesterday claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently on national duty in the Confederations Cup, is unsettled after the tax allegations and wants to quit the Spanish capital after a stellar season under Zinedine Zidane.
The French manager helped Real Madrid to a league title for the first time in more than three years and also became the first manager in Europe to retain the Champions League title, winning almost everything possible in just over a year and a half at the Spanish capital.
However, a lot of the credit for the recent victories should go to the Portuguese star, who has now won nine trophies in just over 13 months. Ronaldo scored 10 goals in the last five games of the Champions League, including a hat-trick against Bayern that knocked them out of the competition.
He has certainly established himself as one of the best players to ever play the game and at just 32, has loads of years left in his fit, professional, football career. He still seems to be at his best, and was one of the best players for the Spanish side last season and is surely going to improve a Manchester United squad that has been struggling in front of goal for more than a season.
Jose Mourinho has decided not to stick with the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic next season and is ready to sell Wayne Rooney. That is two world class players in one season, which is potentially a huge loss but Ronaldo could cover it up completely.
But the biggest problem for Jose Mourinho is the fact that he is not yet done improving other areas of the squad and splashing all the cash on Ronaldo could be an insane thing to do. The Portuguese star has already proven himself in England and buying him is a no-brainer.
However, with Real Madrid expected to request over €1800m for his services, it could seriously dent Manchester United’s transfer budget, which might mean they will have to miss out on a few other stars this summer.
Mourinho still needs a full-back or two, a CDM and a proper winger who can add width to the attack and though Ronaldo ticks off one of those, Manchester United might not be able to find ample cover for the other two areas. As tempting as getting Ronaldo back to Old Trafford is for Manchester United, they should first complete improving on other key areas in the squad, before dreaming about a move for their former hero.
