Cristiano Ronaldo Transfer: Manchester United Still Interested, Agent Teases Chelsea Move

Over the last few weeks there has been growing speculation that Gareth Bale would be leaving Real Madrid in the near future. However, after the club publicly insisted he would be staying, another rumor regarding the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo has now emerged.

According to the Sun, via the Express, Manchester United are once again interested in bringing the superstar back to Old Trafford. However, they are allegedly going to face stern competition for Ronaldo’s signature from Chelsea.

But why do these clubs believe that they can prize the current Ballon d’Or holder away from Real Madrid? Well, Manchester United are confident that the Spanish soccer giants can’t actually afford to keep hold of both Ronaldo and Bale.

And after Real Madrid insisted that they wouldn’t be getting rid of the Welsh winger, they have now turned their attention to bringing Ronaldo, who played at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009, back to England.

Another contributing factor to United’s growing confidence is that Ronaldo’s relationship with Florentino Perez, Real Madrid’s president, is now at an all time low.

Ronaldo has previously made it clear that he would like to finish his career in Spain, but the 29-year-old has now become more and more open to concluding his time as a soccer player at another club.

Meanwhile, if Ronaldo did decide to depart Real Madrid, it isn’t a certainty that he would simply join Manchester United. In fact, it is just as likely that he would transfer to Chelsea.

That’s because they are currently managed by Jose Mourinho, the former Real Madrid coach who Ronaldo built up a very close friendship with during their time together at the club.

In fact, Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, recently admitted that he believes that Jose Mourinho is actually the best manager in the world, a claim that his client has also made in the past.

“Jose [Mourinho] is the best coach in the world. In fact he is the best coach ever. He is only 52-years-old. Nobody else, in my opinion, has won so many trophies in such a period of time. The closest is Sir Alex Ferguson, who is a great example for everybody in football. He is like a father, not just for me but for Jose and for Cristiano as well.”

If Real Madrid did decide to sell Cristiano Ronaldo, then it would still take an astronomical bid from either Manchester United or Chelsea to seal the deal. Plus, they would also need to pay the star around $500,000 a week, too.

[Image via BP]