When it comes to the Spanish media, OK Diario are up there with Don Balón as sensationalists extraordinaire.
Never reporting the banal, the tabloidesque outlet have come up with the goods once again on Thursday with a big exclusive concerning Cristiano Ronaldo.
Picked up all around Europe, the article, in essence, suggests the Portuguese superstar has a ‘secret clause’ that would allow him to leave the club for €120m.
However, this only applies to every single club in the world apart from Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and the rest of La Liga.
For them, the price is the standard €1bn clause that club and player agreed upon back when Cristiano Ronaldo signed his last Real Madrid contract.
This comes after a season of ups and downs for the Portugal international, which has mirrored his relationship with his club, and his future ‘appears very far from the Bernabéu’.
Annoyed at his wages, below those of Lionel Messi at Barcelona and Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain, Ronaldo is said to have four offers on the table from Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Milan, although the latter of the four is now banned from Europe and isn’t a viable option anymore.
The clause reduction is said to have come after a meeting between Real Madrid and Jorge Mendes just before the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain, first reducing it to €400m before agreeing on the far more reasonable price of €120m.
The aforementioned four teams were all said to be prepared to meet that amount as well as offer the forward €40m/year (post tax).
Those are the ‘facts’ presented by OK Diario, and you can stop laughing now.
Regardless of all the changes at the Emirates, there is absolutely no chance of Arsenal offering Cristiano Ronaldo £680k/week post tax, and the same applies for everyone else on that list, even Manchester City.
Following all of this, and don’t be too shocked here, Marca and Mundo Deportivo have both been told by ‘Real Madrid sources’ that this story isn’t true and the former Manchester United winger’s release clause still stands at €1bn, regardless of the interested party.
Just in case you weren’t sure, silly season is truly upon us.
