Real Madrid have reportedly agreed to offer Man. United £54m for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
The Portuguese winger has been in dazzling form this season and is currently widely regarded as the best player in the world. However, his spellbinding performances, both in the Premiership and Champions League, have also made him the hottest property in world football and Man. United face an arduous fight to retain his services beyond the current campaign.
Having stalled on extending his Old Trafford contract, Ronaldo has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Bernabéu and it is understood that the Spanish giants have made him their number one target this summer.
According to The Guardian, 'Real Madrid have stepped up their attempt to sign by meeting his agent and agreeing a course of action that directors at the Santiago believe will end with the Portugal winger becoming their latest galáctico.
'Franco Baldini, right-hand man to Madrid's sporting director, Predrag Mijatovic, and the man who negotiates all of the club's signings, met Jorge Mendes in London last Wednesday.
'Sources at Madrid claim that during the meeting, Baldini confirmed that Ronaldo is their No1 priority for next season and informed Mendes that they would be prepared to meet Manchester United's asking price for the winger - expected to be somewhere in the region of ¿80m (£54m).'
Any such deal would represent a new world-record transfer fee, usurping the £46m spent by Madrid in 2002 on Zinedine Zidane.
