MANCHESTER CITYS new billionaire owners are planning a world-record €166 million bid for Cristiano Ronaldo in the January transfer window. They will then turn their sights on Fernando Torres of Liverpool and Arsenals Cesc Fabregas, among others.
"Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious," said Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim of the Abu Dhabi United Group.
Al Fahim also reiterated that he would investigate the availability of Barcelona's former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, Valencia's David Villa and the former Brazil striker Ronaldo to join Robinho, the forward signed from Real Madrid on Monday, in a "dream team" that would challenge for the Champions League within two or three years.
However, he identified Manchester United's Ronaldo as the biggest challenge for the billionaire tycoons, backed by members of the United Arab Emirates royal family, who have taken control of City from the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160 million but for a player like that, to actually get him will cost a lot more," said Al Fahim. "I would think $240 million. But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than Real Madrid and Manchester United."
City's chances of persuading Ronaldo to forget about moving to Real and to swap Old Trafford for Eastlands - or "Middle Eastlands", as some City fans have started calling it - are, at best, miniscule. Yet the remarkable signing of Robinho, for a British-record €40 million, has already sent shockwaves through the sport and Al Fahim said City would be willing to pay United almost three times the previous world transfer record - set in 2001 when Zinedine Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid for €57.7 million.
Al Fahim confirmed that Torres and Fabregas are also targets as City look to bring in a "minimum 18" players. "We're not just going to spend money on anyone, but if we can get the biggest players in the world, and of course if the manager wants them, then we will get them," he said.
Robinho arrived in London yesterday for a brief meeting with Mark Hughes to conclude his transfer - he has yet to take a medical examination - before flying out to join the Brazil squad for Monday's World Cup qualifier against Chile. The 24-year-old has agreed a four-year contract that makes him the highest-paid footballer in the history of the game, with a weekly salary of €196,000.
Ronaldo could conceivably be offered twice that amount but it could also be argued that City's pursuit of the Portugal forward demonstrates a degree of naivety on the part of the new owners. United's reaction was one of bemusement: "We have made it clear all summer that Cristiano is not for sale."
Guardian Service
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