http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...ms-unlikely-to-impress-Manchester-United.html
Ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's much-publicised meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson on Monday, the mood of the Manchester United manager will not have improved with reports of a 'secret deal' between the player and Real Madrid.
Fresh speculation in the Spanish press has claimed Real president Ramon Calderon has signed an "agreement of intention" with Ronaldo.
Marca's lead article claims this agreement commits Ronaldo to Madrid, and would require him to financially compensate the Spanish champions should he fail to join them this summer. Furthermore, the paper suggests Ronaldo will risk Ferguson's fury by snubbing Monday's meeting altogether and staying in Portugal to continue his rehabilitation.
Ferguson has long been critical of Real's attempts to unsettle Ronaldo, who has a four-year contract at Old Trafford. Earlier this summer United lodged an official complaint to Fifa over what they saw as Real's illegal tactics.
"You get used to this with Madrid," said Ferguson of the continued newspaper speculation. "They (Madrid) use Marca as their vehicle to unsettle players. They've got no moral issues at all. They think they can ride roughshod over everyone but they won't do it with us."
Since then, Ronaldo has publicly declared his wish to join Madrid, saying after Euro 2008: "It is a dream, a step forward, you can call it what you want. It is a great opportunity, and as (Luiz Felipe) Scolari says, that train passes by only once, and we have to take advantage of it."
Despite those sentiments, Ronaldo has not officially handed in a transfer request. And with the United heirarchy completely unwilling to listen to offers, the ball is now in Ronaldo's court.Though the winger's comments and conduct have angered United, the relationship does not seem beyond repair at this stage. Should Ronaldo refuse to show up in Manchester on Monday however, the atmosphere between club and player would take a significant turn for the worse.
Meanwhile, Fifa president Sepp Blatter has now backtracked on his widely-ridiculed claim that United's treatment of Ronaldo amounted to "slavery".
"I have never said that Ronaldo is a slave," Blatter said during a visit to Vietnam."What I said is slavery is with the young people, youngsters that European clubs are trying to get and bring them to the big clubs. This is my expression, this is modern slavery. "I have never mentioned that for Ronaldo. But the press have distorted it. Ronaldo is not a slave." He added that FIFA would not play any role a dispute over Ronaldo.
"Let them work in peace now," Blatter said. "Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United and Real Madrid, they can solve this problem. For the time being, we have nothing to say."
