It would be the most sensational move of the summer, and it may have just come closer to fruition. As fresh reports today link Cristiano Ronaldo with a return to Manchester United, bwin has cut the price on the Real Madrid star heading back to Old Trafford during this transfer window.
Spanish daily El Pais has suggested that the £80 million man will meet with United officials within the next few days before he meets up with his Los Blancos teammates for pre-season training.
Speculation about Ronaldo’s future has been increasing since the end of last season amid reports that the former Sporting Lisbon forward has become disillusioned with life at the Bernabeu, where despite scoring 201 goals in 199 games, he has won just two major trophies in four years in the Spanish capital – one La Liga title and one Copa del Rey.
The world’s most expensive player has just two years left on his contract at Madrid and took the unusual step of denying he had agreed an extension on Twitter two weeks ago, stating that “all the news about my renewal with Real Madrid is false”.
That was interpreted in some quarters as the Portuguese star playing games with his current employers in a bid to ensure the best possible offer for a new contract is forthcoming.
However, United are known to be keen to take back the man who won three Premier League titles and one Champions League in his six years at the club.
And based on the reports emanating from Spain, a transfer looks to have moved a step closer, prompting bwin to trim the odds on Ronaldo re-signing for United this summer from 7/2 to 11/4.
In other words, new customers backing the move to happen with their free £20 bet would pocket winnings of £75 if the 28-year-old is indeed turning out for the Reds next term.
The forward is long odds-on to stay at Real Madrid, with bwin making him 4/25 to still be at the Bernabeu next year, while Chelsea, now managed by Ronaldo’s former boss Jose Mourinho, and big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, who have been linked with a world-record bid for the star, are both 8/1 chances.
It is 14/1 and bigger for Ronaldo to sign for other clubs before the transfer window slams shut on September 2nd.
