Ronaldo's Real dream shattered as Madrid move for Bayern's Ribery

29 May 2009 09:55
Manchester United's chances of clinging on to Cristiano Ronaldo received a huge boost last night when it emerged that Real Madrid are close to a £40million deal for France forward Franck Ribery. Ronaldo returned to England disillusioned and still determined to quit Old Trafford for Spain in the wake of Manchester United's crushing Champions League final loss to Barcelona in Rome on Wednesday. Having refused to commit his future to United after the game, Ronaldo only underlined what has been known for some time that he wants to go to Madrid. But as Real president-elect Florentino Perez gave a press conference in the Spanish capital last night, Sportsmail learned that Madrid were poised to beat Chelsea in the race to capture Ribery. Chelsea had hoped to launch new coach Carlo Ancelotti's Stamford Bridge tenure by signing the Bayern Munich star but it is understood they are on the verge of conceding defeat. It is unlikely Real will be able to fund Ronaldo's £75m move as well as that of Ribery, another attacking player. Speaking as he came to terms with United's 2-0 defeat in Rome, Ronaldo said: 'My future for now is the national team. I don't want to talk about clubs, I want to rest, to go on holidays, because I'm very tired. I've played many games under a lot of pressure. The future we'll see.' Madrid have agreed the terms of a transfer with Ronaldo's representatives and told the 24-year-old they would make United an offer they could not resist this summer. But it is now understood that Perez, who is likely to be confirmed as the club's president on Monday, has made Ribery his priority. Having been booed by Barcelona fans as he collected his loser's medal in the Olympic Stadium, Ronaldo hit back by suggesting the Catalan club did not deserve to be in the final. He said: 'We must give credit to Barcelona but they were lucky to be here because Chelsea deserved to win their semi-final. I must congratulate Barcelona but that's football: you only talk about those who win.' Striker Carlos Tevez, out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of June, did not fly home with the team.

Source: Daily_Mail