Real Madrid know Ronaldo will leave, Manchester United move on next summer

Cristiano Ronaldo's comments about a possible Manchester United return were never going to slip away quietly, the Real Madrid player will have been aware of that before he opened his mouth. Whilst what Ronaldo said has been twisted - he did point out wanted to fulfil his current Real Madrid contract - the reporting which followed was predictable and lapped up.
That's because it's a genuinely big story. Arguably the world's best player saying he fancies returning to his previous Premier League club is huge news in the vacuum after deadline day, only diluted by the fact that Ronaldo has said this kind of thing before.
That the Ronaldo comments came at the same time as a Jorge Mendes and Florentino Perez spat kicked off should be of little surprise. On the same day as his Manchester United comments, Ronaldo had let the Spanish press know that things would have been different this summer had he been Real Madrid president.
The Gestifute camp, including Mendes and Ronaldo, feel Angel di Maria was poorly treated by Real Madrid. Florentino Perez feels that Di Maria's goodbye letter tried to lay too much blame at his door.
El Confidencial are a favourite for Perez leaks, after he spectacularly fell out with Marca and AS. Yesterday they published a barely believable story that Perez had refused to sign Radamel Falcao on a matter of principle after the Di Maria letter. An act to show Mendes who was really in charge. It didn't wash because El Cofidencial had been saying all summer that Perez didn't want Falcao anyway, so there was no turnaround for Real Madrid to make.


 Just like there was a response to the Di Maria letter, which was quite mild in all honesty, there had to be a response to Ronaldo's comments and, yet again, El Confidencial are the chosen mouthpiece. They state that Ronaldo's voice now reaches all corners of Real Madrid, his standing at the club has increased and his power too.
An interesting claim is that leaders at Real Madrid know Ronaldo won't be eternal, he will leave them before the end of his career, and that's in marked contrast to Perez statements before the player signed his last contract.
In Spring 2013, Perez said "We have a fantastic team with a player who is defining an age. We are immensely proud that Cristiano Ronaldo is with us; he will spend the rest of his career at Real Madrid. He is the greatest player on the planet, and one of the greatest of all time."
El Confidencial state that a decision will be made next summer on Ronaldo, like with any valuable player. It will relate to the season he has, his medical situation, and his attitude toward the club. To make it clear, it's explained that 'nobody is indispensable' to Real Madrid, and Ronaldo's future will be discussed at the end of the season.
In terms of a message for Cristiano Ronaldo, this is Florentino Perez saying 'Right back at you sunshine'.
If the cold war between Mendes and Perez continues then Ronaldo's future is genuinely an issue. A move to Manchester United next summer may not be as unlikely as once thought.
Any serious spat between Mendes and Perez is good news for Manchester United on several fronts. It makes a long heralded Ronaldo return more likely, it also puts a huge doubt on any future Real Madrid move for Radamel Falcao. Manchester United may have first option on the Colombian but the last thing they want is for him to have a tremendous season, only for Perez to come sniffing around next summer. The will of a player often wins.
An unexpected benefit could be related to David de Gea. The Spanish goalkeeper has been seriously, yet calmly, linked with a move to Real Madrid for years by media friendly to the current European Champions. And who was the man mentioned as the one to mastermind that? None other than Jorge Mendes of course.