Real Madrid President Issues Warning to Man Utd After Breaking Silence on Ronaldo Future

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has thrown his support behind unsettled Ballon d'Or holder Cristiano Ronaldo following reports that the player wants to leave the club, sending a warning to Manchester United in the process.

Perez, speaking to Spanish radio station Onda Cero, via ​BBC, on Monday night following his re-election as club president, also claimed that the club do not want to sell anybody over the course of the summer. 

United have been linked heavily with the likes of Ronaldo, and teammates Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez.

Ronaldo's future has hit the headlines over the last few days as the player is said to feel let down and unsupported by his club in the wake of allegations of millions of euros in unpaid taxes, but Perez gave a lengthy response when asked about the player's future.

He said: "The only thing I can say is Cristiano Ronaldo is a Real Madrid player. Obviously something has happened, something has affected him, his credibility. I'm sure he will tell us and we will see.

"It's no coincidence that he's in a very important tournament, the Confederations Cup. It hasn't finished yet and I don't want to disturb the Portuguese team. He just wants to be the best player in the world. If Cristiano wants to leave Real Madrid, it won't be for money.

"The clause for Cristiano is £1bn. We have not had an offer from Cristiano...the Sheikh at PSG is a friend of mine and he hasn't called me nor have we talked.

"Cristiano is a good guy as a professional and as a person. This is very strange and in the next few days I'll talk to him.

"I must defend him at all costs, both as a player and as a person. What I will say is that everyone must fulfil their tax obligations.

"I have no doubt that Cristiano will be able to defend himself. What they have told me is that he has the same financial arrangements as he had in England, where he had no problems.

"The only thing I know is that Cristiano is very angry with the treatment he has received in the press."

United have been alerted to Ronaldo's potential availability since the weekend, and it is believed that if Ronaldo does leave then Old Trafford is his preferred destination, but Morata had before then been the name on the lips of most United fans. A deal was reported to be close for the Spaniard, with negotiations set to continue into this week.

What impact Ronaldo's decision will have on the transfer remains to be seen, but ​Manchester Evening News report that United will press ahead with deals for all of their main summer targets and potentially move for Ronaldo later this summer if a deal is doable.

Perez though has issued a warning to United, saying Real are not in the business of offloading players: "We want to keep all our players next season, including James. (And) no one at the club wants Morata to leave and I haven’t heard the player asking to leave."