Fresh from recruiting Brazilian superstar Robinho for a British record $A69 million, Manchester City’s new billionaire Arab owners now want Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo – and are willing to pay $A287 million to get him.
Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, head of the Abu Dhabi United Group that has taken over the club, has described City as the “biggest club in the world”, and is willing to part with £135 million to recruit Ronaldo.
“Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious,” British newspaper the Guardian quoted Dr Al-Fahim as saying.
Al-Fahim – reportedly 10 times richer than Chelsea’s Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich – has declared he wants to bring a “minimum 18” players to the club to build a “dream team” capable of challenging for the European Champions League within three years.
“Real Madrid were estimating his value at 160 million dollars but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more; I would think 240 million (dollars) (135 million pounds).
“But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United.
“We want a team who can win the Champions League.”
Robinho will reportedly become the highest-paid footballer ever when he takes up a massive $300,000-a-week contract at City.
