Cristiano Ronaldo will return to Manchester United but will only be allowed to leave Real Madrid in two years’ time.
That is according to Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who is quoted by the Daily Star as saying the Portuguese dreams of playing for his former club again, although it is unlikely to happen next summer and any talk right now is premature.
“It’s quite clear United are allowing this to continue because they are interested in Cristiano Ronaldo,” Balague told Sky Sports.
“The player dreams about going back but I think it’s just the timing that people are getting wrong. They want this to happen in January, if possible, but it’s not going to.
“In the summer? I don’t that will happen either because Real Madrid have no intention of selling Ronaldo then.
“In two years’ time I’d say yes as that is when he will be 31 going on 32, so Madrid could say: ‘OK, if we cash in on him then brilliant. He’s done a lot for us but that’s it. Time to move on’.
“I don’t think it will happen next summer and people will have to be a little more patient.”
New Reds’ boss Louis van Gaal has admitted he would be interested in bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford and has been told by the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward that money is no object.
However, Madrid President Florentino Perez is understood to want a world-record fee of around €200m before he would even begin to talk business.
