Florentino Perez has consigned himself to defeat in the effort to make Cristiano Ronaldo happy in Spain.
The Real Madrid president has decided to sell the Portuguese superstar this summer and use those funds to build a new squad for a new manager, according to the Daily Star.
“According to reports in Spain, Real president Florentino Perez has finally grown fed up with the Portuguese forward’s refusal to sign a new contract,” the Star reports. “And the Real chief is now determined to cash in on the club’s £80 million [$131.6 million] record signing, while Ronaldo’s value is still at its peak.
“And Perez is also keen to splash out on an overhaul of the Real squad this summer, as he faces a presidential re-election campaign in upcoming months.
“Tottenham’s Gareth Bale and Manchester City’s David Silva are top of the list of Real’s summer targets, along with Malaga starlet Isco and Brazil phenomenon Neymar.”
Ronaldo shocked the soccer world last summer when he told Perez that he wanted to leave Real Madrid. Perez tried to placate the 28-year-old with an offer of a lucrative new contract, but Ronaldo rejected the offer, and his name was thrown into the transfer rumor mill. Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are reportedly interested in bidding for the star forward.
Real Madrid is facing the prospect of watching both Ronaldo and manager Jose Mourinho leave the club after this season. Those losses alone would likely hinder Perez’s re-election efforts, but he can put a positive spin on the situation by hiring a top manager and signing a few stars of the present and future.
Ronaldo’s legendary exploits at Real Madrid ensure that the world’s richest clubs would shell out serious money to sign him, but it’s unknown if his transfer fee would match the record set in 2009. In late October, Jorge Mendes (agent of both Ronaldo and Mourinho) reportedly spoke with Perez and PSG owner Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani about bringing the star player and manager to the French capital. PSG is thought to be willing to spend up €100 million euros ($129.6 million) to sign the pair from Madrid.
Perez (or a new Real Madrid president) would be able to sign a number of world-class players with that kind of money, and the Spanish club remains an alluring destination for most players despite this season’s soap opera.
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