Source: Telegraph
Cristiano Ronaldo transfer attempt imminent from Real Madrid
Perez launched his second spell as Real president by breaking the world transfer record with the £56m purchase of Kaka from AC Milan earlier this week and, despite the huge outlay on the Brazilian forward, an even costlier move for Ronaldo remains on the agenda at the Bernabeu.
United's position on Ronaldo's future remains unchanged, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill, with the support of the Glazer family, steadfast in their determination to rebuff any offers for the 24-year-old.
But after almost two years of Real openly courting Ronaldo without so much as a formal offer being dispatched from the Spanish capital to Old Trafford, Perez has suggested that Real are now on the brink of discussing with United precisely what it will take to secure the Portuguese winger's services.
Speaking to Spanish public radio station RNE, Perez said: "I have not yet spoken to them (United) but I will do it in the coming days.
Further comments by Real general director Jorge Valdano only highlight their desire to succeed in their battle to sign Ronaldo this summer.
Valdano said: "I can only talk about players who are on their way here, not about those we are in negotiations over.
"He is a great professional, he dedicates a very great deal of time to his work. He is a great footballer and a very good professional.
According to the information we have managed to obtain, he is an excellent professional." Ronaldo's current contract at Old Trafford has three years left to run, but conflicting statements by the player over the last month have clouded the picture surrounding his intentions.
Having withdrawn from Portugal's squad for last night's (Weds) friendly against Estonia in Tallinn with a suspected hernia injury, Ronaldo is now on holiday in Los Angeles, but reports in Spain that Real have sent a medical team to California to assess his fitness have been privately ridiculed by United.
There remains a belief in Spain that Real have secured a private agreement with the player to complete a £75m transfer this summer, another theory dismissed by United, with Gill insisting recently that Ronaldo is simply not for sale.
Gill said last month "We have never had that discussion (about Ronaldo's future) because there has been absolutely no point having that discussion.
"We made it clear last year that he is on a long-term contract with us.
He is not for sale. He is a great player and he is part of our club." United protested to Fifa 12 months ago in the midst of Real's prolonged campaign to lure Ronaldo to the Bernabeu, but United's dissatisfaction at Fifa's failure to take any action has ensured that a similar move this summer is unlikely.
