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.

Transfer rumours: £63m Franck Ribery to replace Cristiano Ronaldo

United make plans to win ugly


Alex Ferguson knows better than most that Cristiano Ronaldo may move to Real Madrid this summer. Fergie's first choice to replace C-Ron is Lionel Messi, but there's zero chance that Messi will swap Barcelona for Manchester.

So, the second best player in the world (Ronaldo) wants to leave Old Trafford, and the best player in the world (Messi) won't come to Old Trafford. That leaves Fergie with a superstar-shaped hole to fill. The player he has chosen to step into C-Ron's boots is... drum roll (just pretend you didn't read the headline)...  Franck Ribery.

According to the Guardian, sources in Munich claim that Bayern have received a world record £62.5m bid for Ribery from United.

£62.5m! Phew, that's a hell of a lot of money for a 26-year-old player who, in my opinion, has yet to prove he is absolutely world-class. Don't get me wrong - Ribery is very, very good footballer and he'd be an excellent addition to a squad that is already the strongest in Europe. But I can't believe he'd make anything like the impact that Ronaldo has; the scar-faced Frenchman wouldn't sell as many shirts as Ronaldo, nor seduce as many WAGs. As far as Fergie is concerned, that's a good thing.

Bayern have reportedly turned down United's initial bid, but only because that's how the transfer game is played. The Germans couldn't say yes at the first attempt, although I imagine they provately see £60m+ for Ribery as a brilliant bit of business - especially if Bayern can poach Diego from Werder Bremen, for a quarter of that price.

Until now, I thought that Ronaldo would stay at United. But with news of this Ribery bid, it seems Ferguson is resigned to losing his Portuguese prodigy.

Verdict: Despite this story, I still think Ronaldo will be persuaded to stay. If so, I could see Ribery being tempted by Man City's cash.

MANCHESTER UNITED CONFIRM TEVEZ WILL LEAVE OLD TRAFFORD

The Argentina international forward is thought to have rejected a five-year contract with the Premier League champions.Premier League champions Manchester United have confirmed that Carlos Tevez will not be plying his trade at Old Trafford in the 2009-10 campaign.

A statement on the club's official website reads, "Following contact received from Carlos Tevez’s advisors last night, in advance of the deadline the Club set for concluding negotiations, Manchester United announces that Carlos will not be signing a new contract with the Club. "The Club agreed to pay the option price of £25.5m and offered Carlos a five-year contract which would have made him one of its highest paid players.

"Disappointingly however, his advisors informed the Club that, despite the success he has enjoyed during one of the Club’s most successful periods, he does not wish to continue playing for Manchester United.

"The Club would like to thank Carlos for his services over the last two seasons and wishes him good luck for the future."

The 25-year-old joined the Red Devils on a two-year loan in 2007.

Although the 50-time capped Argentina international was considered a first-choice player at Old Trafford in the 2007-08 season, it appeared he had dropped down the pecking order last season following the arrival of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Tevez made 51 appearances in the 2008-09 campaign, scoring 15 goals - he only played 48 matches the year before, when he netted 19 times.

It is thought the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City might be in the running to acquire 'El Apache's' services.

The 5ft 6in striker has also been linked with a move to Spain and Italy, but he has recently ruled out a move to Liverpool.

PLATINI SLAMS MADRID'S 'EXCESSIVE' PURSUIT OF RONALDO

The UEFA boss is not happy with the manner in which the summer transfer market is shaping up.
The president of UEFA, Michael Platini, often critical of the manner in which sides from the Premier League recklessly throw wages and transfer fees around Europe, has slammed Spanish side Real Madrid for following suit.

The Primera Division runners-up have spent close to €165 million on just two players: Brazilian attacker Kaka and Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Platini believes this contradicts the idea of "fair play".

The administrator, himself regarded as one of the finest footballers during his playing days with Juventus and France, told AFP, "These excessive transfers are happening almost every day."

Platini is keen to address the fiscal environment of European football and is keen to adopt a socialist policy to continental competition by creating a level economic playing field.

"These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fair play and the concept of financial balance in our competitions

"UEFA is working hard with clubs to set up a new set of rules as soon as it is possible to clean up the system and give it a more solid, more transparent base.

"That is our top priority today," he concluded.

MU AKAN TAWAR TORRES £40 JUTA

Rafa Benitez sangat tidak mungkin melepas pemainnya ke Old Trafford. Manchester United disebut-sebut akan membuat kejutan dengan melayangkan tawaran sebesar £40 juta kepada Liverpool untuk Fernando Torres.

The Sunday Express memberitakan Sir Alex Ferguson melihat Torres sebagai pengganti ideal Cristiano Ronaldo.

Meski tidak mungkin bagi Rafa Benitez melepas assetnya, tawaran besar ini bukan tidak mungkin mengganggu Liverpool. The Reds sedang mengalami kesulitan keuangan.

MU saat ini masih mempertimbangkan sejumlah nama; Karim Benzema, Franck Ribery, dan DAvid Silva, sebagai pengganti Ronaldo. Nama lainnya adalah Alexis Sanchez, gelandang Udinese, dan Antonio Valencia (Wigan).

Khusus untuk Torres, bukan kali pertama Fergie mendambakannya mengenakan kostum Red Devils. Sejak masih menjadi striker Atletico Madrid, Fergie beberapa kali membujuknya untuk pindah ke Old Trafford, tapi gagal.

Namun ketika Fergie melupakannya, Rafa Benitez dengan mudah memboyongnya ke Anfield dengan harga £24 juta.

Benitez dipastikan tidak akan menjual pemainnya ke rival seriusnya. Sama seperti Manchester United tidak akan menjual pemainnya ke Liverpool.