Brief updates -> Ronaldo Saga

Man Utd deny reaching a fee agreement with Real Madrid

Manchester United denied reports released in Spanish journals, that a fee agreement, in connection to the Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer, has been reached.

The English club's officials are annoyed at the Marca newspaper, which is the "voice" of the Spanish club. Marca claimed that the two clubs are about to conclude Ronaldo's transfer. According to Marca, Real's original offer was that of £70 million, but then Real Madrid accepted the Red Devils' request of £83 million.

A Manchester United spokesman said that this news is nothing but paper talk.

"This is just speculation from an unreliable source. This is amateur journalism with the aim of unsettling the player. The European and English champions are ready to turn down any offer for the simple reason that Ronaldo is still under contract. Ronaldo is not for sale and after he undergoes the ankle surgery and has a recovery period, he is expected to return to Old Trafford for training."

Ronaldo is expected to have an ankle operation in the coming days and may miss the start of the 08/09 season. The injury may also keep him sidelined for about 6-8 weeks. This means, that provided Ronaldo stays at Manchester United, he will also miss the match against Liverpool at Anfield on the 13th September.

The Red Devils are also accusing the Portuguese FA of letting Ronaldo play during Euro 2008 while carrying an injury. However, the Portuguese association claimed that according to the national squad's medical staff, Ronaldo could keep on playing as normal as ever. As a matter of fact, Ronaldo never seemed to suffer from an injury.