Manchester United are increasingly confident that they can sign Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, reports the Daily Mirror.
The Portuguese played for the Red Devils before joining Los Merengues in a record-breaking £80 million deal [BBC]. He managed 118 goals in 292 appearances for the Premier League side and has gone on to score 313 in 302 matches for Los Blancos, so a return to Old Trafford would be welcomed by supporters.
The 30-year-old has a tense relationship with current Bernabeu boss Rafael Benitez according to the Mirror, and this is what has given United hope that they can entice the two-time Ballon d’Or winner away from the Spanish capital. Earlier in the summer it was reported that the forward was unhappy with the former Liverpool manager’s training, labelling a crossbar challenge as ‘sh*t’ [AS via Daily Mail].
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However, they are still targeting Gareth Bale as their first-choice transfer target.
The Welshman was booed by fans during the last campaign after failing to reach the heights of his awe-inspiring debut season. However, the 26-year-old has asserted his desire to stay with the Spanish side and help them to win the Champions League again [The Sun via Sky Sports]. This could leave United with their former player as the only option if they want a top-level forward.
They have also been linked to Barcelona’s Neymar [The Sun], but the 23-year-old has now rubbished those rumours [The Sun]. The rejection could be what has made the Red Devils turn to the Real pair.