MANCHESTER UNITED RECEIVE REAL MADRID'S £80M FEE FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO

The widely expected transfer has been made official, as the Premier League champions receive the full unconditional transfer fee.
The agreed £80 million transfer fee negotiated between Manchester United and Real Madrid for prized asset Cristiano Ronaldo has, according to the club's official website, been paid, rendering the Portuguese international's Bernabeu switch complete.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the influence and contributions of Ronaldo, and said, “Cristiano has been a marvellous player for Manchester United. His six years at Old Trafford have seen him develop into the best footballer in the world.

“His contribution has been a major factor in the club’s success in that time and his talent, his ability to entertain and his infectious personality have enthralled fans the world over.

“Everyone here wishes him well in his future career,” he concluded.

The club can now go about funding a summer of spending that will see them bolster the squad so that they can cope with the void left by the amount of goals supplied by Ronaldo.

United have already completed the signing of former Wigan Athletic flanker Luis Antonio Valencia, while Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has also been touted as a potential recruit.

LYON AND REAL MADRID CONFIRM KARIM BENZEMA TRANSFER

The saga finally looks to have come to an end as Lyon have confirmed a deal with Madrid...
Just hours after denying that a deal had been agreed with Real Madrid for Karim Benzema, Olympique Lyon have confirmed that a deal has in fact been done.

Swiftly afterwards, Real Madrid added that the deal was indeed set to take place following a medical, and that Benzema wil sign on for six years at the Casa Blanca.


A statement on the offiical Lyon website announces that the striker will cost Madrid €35 million initially and that with performance related bonuses the deal could rise to €41 million.

The message also explains the situation with Benzema and that he asked the president if he could move to Madrid sooner than expected.

"Some days ago, Karim Benzema informed president Jean Michel Aulas of his wish to join Real Madrid, always his preferred club after OL, sooner than he expected," read the statement.

"The player wished to seize the chance that Real Madrid offered to be one of the major elements in a team that has world-wide players.

"Olympique Lyon accepted the decision of Karim Benzema and negotiated the conditions for a transfer that satisfied both parties.

"The club wishes Karim every success with Real Madrid, which, in pursuit of its ambitious plans on the pitch, benefits from advantages in legislation (e.g. sponsoring and online betting with Bwin), taxation (more favourable tax status for players abroad) and property ownership (a privately-owned, value-generating stadium) that are incomparable with the situation currently prevailing in French professional sports."

Benzema will be the fourth signing of the summer for Madrid, behind Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raul Albiol.

AC MILAN TO SIGN PORTSMOUTH STRIKER PETER CROUCH?

The Serie A outfit have identified the man famous for his 'robot dance' celebration as a potential transfer target...
AC Milan continue their search for a striker and with Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko looking likely to stay in the Bundesliga they must look at other options.

Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been mentioned, but another Premier League possibility is Portsmouth hitman Peter Crouch, according to Studio Sport.

The English international will likely leave Fratton Park this summer, but is waiting to see who the club appoint as their new coach before making a definitive decision.

The 28-year-old scored 15 goals in all competitions for Portsmouth in 2008-09, after three inconsistent seasons with Liverpool.

Rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani has claimed that the club are looking for a capable target man, but the fans would be unlikely to view Crouch is a viable option in completing the attack after losing superstar Kaka to Real Madrid this summer.