CRISTIANO RONALDO'S representatives have revealed they expect to open talks on a new contract for the Portugal international despite Manchester United's reluctance to extend the €141,197-a-week deal he penned last year.
The 23-year-old is 19 months into the lucrative five-year contract he signed in April 2007 and is yet to reclaim the full backing of United fans after a summer spent flirting with, and ultimately failing to secure, a move to Real Madrid.
With Madrid still coveting the player, despite protestations to the contrary from their president, Ramon Calderon, Ronaldo's representatives are looking for a new long-term deal from United in the region of the €188,263-a-week Robinho receives at Manchester City.
United's chief executive, David Gill, has consistently argued the European champions have no plans to extend Ronaldo's contract before the end of this season, although that would prevent another summer of unsettling Madrid talk and erase any concern that the winger could invoke the Webster Ruling and buy-out the remainder of his deal in June 2010. Under the ruling, so-called after Andy Webster won the right to purchase the remainder of his contract at Hearts and move to Wigan Athletic in 2006, Ronaldo could buy out the final two years of his contract for approximately €14.2 million if he refuses to sign an extension before the end of the 2009-10 season.
With that in mind, and despite United's reluctance to set a precedent by opening new talks so soon, Alex Ferguson has said Ronaldo's future is a crucial issue for the club next close season. "Next summer will be a key element of his contract situation because he will have three years left then," the United manager confirmed earlier this month. The player's agent, Jorge Mendes, is believed to have already outlined to United what his client is seeking to remain out of Madrid's clutches.
"It is normal a footballer wants a deal to go with his status and one that matches his performances on the field," said a spokesperson for Gestifute, the agency run by Mendes, last night.
"But nobody has prepared anything concrete. We want to avoid all these rumours in the press and will have contact with United. We do predict a meeting with Manchester United to speak about the future of Ronaldo but still there is not an exact date."
Mendes's intention to secure terms matching Ronaldo's status leaves United facing another significant pay increase for the Portugal international.
United's supporters, meanwhile, have been hit in the pocket after Villarreal revealed a hike in ticket prices for the Champions League tie at El Madrigal. The Spanish club, whose average ticket prices are around €40, have allocated 2,800 tickets to United for the game on November 25th, ranging from €120 for the best seat, €68 for a standard seat and €59 for a restricted view seat. It is not uncommon for clubs in Spain, where prices do not rise according to the category of the game, as in the Premier League, to charge more for home matches against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Guardian Service
