Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/839659
21 Sport FOOTBALL maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE 2017 No plans for Real Madrid to see Ronaldo depart NEWLY re-elected Real Ma- drid president Florentino Perez is "not contemplating" Cristiano Ronaldo leaving the European champions, despite talk of the disgrun- tled star returning to Man- chester United. The reigning Ballon d'Or and Best FIFA Men's Player award winner is believed to feel singled out for dispro- portionate treatment after Spanish prosecutors ac- cused him of evading tax of 14.7million euros (£12.8m). Those allegations were de- nied in a statement by Ron- aldo's management com- pany Gestifute, while Real Madrid say they have "full confidence" in a player who "will prove his total inno- cence in this process". But the situation has stuck in the craw for Ronaldo, leading the Portugal captain to tell those close to him that he wants to quit the club and the country. United have been strongly linked with a move for their former forward, but Perez is not thinking about the pos- sibility of Real losing their talisman. "I want to talk with him," the long-serving Real presi- dent told Onda Cero. "I have a good relationship with him after working together for eight years. "I will talk with him when the Confederations Cup has finished. "I'm not contemplating that Cristiano will leave. Right now he is a Madrid player. "Something very odd will have to happen for him to go. And I'm not contemplat- ing that, especially without speaking with him." Perez found out about Ronaldo's anger through the front cover of Portuguese newspaper A Bola, but has not spoken to him since his man-of-the-match display in the Champions League final win against Juventus. The 32-year-old is current- ly away with Portugal at the Confederations Cup in Rus- sia, where he has so far evad- ed questions over his future - including skipping the tra- ditional man-of-the-match press conference after Sun- day's draw with Mexico. Ronaldo's silence has only fuelled talk of a return to Old Trafford, where he be- came a fans' favourite hav- ing f lourished under the guidance of Sir Alex Fergu- son before joining Madrid in a world-record deal eight years ago. Paul Pogba is now the most expensive player on the globe after United brought him back from Juventus last summer and Jose Mour- inho's men would likely have to break the bank again to re-sign the Portuguese. Ronaldo, a player United are naturally interested in, has a prohibitively high one billion euros (£880million) buyout clause in the new and improved deal he signed in November which ties him to the Bernabeu until 2021. Free-spending Paris St Germain have also been linked with a player that Perez insists there have been no bids for, nor he says has there been any offers for Al- varo Morata or James Rod- riguez. "I've not spoken with Nasser (Al-Khelaifi, PSG president) or with anybody," Perez said. "We've not re- ceived offers for him (Ron- aldo), Morata or James. "And neither have we made any offers for anybody." Press Association Sport understands United's for- mer Real boss Mourinho is keen to sign Morata as the Red Devils target three or four high-quality summer acquisitions. Benfica defender Victor Lindelof is the only arrival to date and a new number nine is a priority in the wake of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's se- rious knee ligament injury, with Everton's Romelu Lu- kaku and Torino's Andrea Belotti others linked. Talk over a move for Chel- sea defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic and Inter Milan wide man Ivan Perisic continues, as does specula- tion about summer depar- tures. Ibrahimovic is set to leave at the end of his contract and United captain Wayne Rooney has yet to announce where he will be playing his club football next season, although David de Gea's fu- ture is becoming clearer. While the club were always understood to be confident of keeping the Spain goal- keeper, there were growing reports of a move to Real - a club he came close to join- ing in 2015, with Keylor Na- vas going the other way. Perez has seemingly poured cold water on a move for De Gea this summer, saying he has grown to love Navas as talk of a deal for unsettled teenage AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Don- narumma continues. "Two years ago we had the fax machine fatality - it was two minutes late and then nothing," Perez told Marca. "Last year we had a chance that we did not take and now we have no agreement with Manchester United to sign him. The truth is that we have great goalkeepers." "Something very odd will have to happen for him to go. And I'm not contemplating that, especially without speaking with him."