UNITED'S INTEREST VERY REAL

Though it never reached the stage of tabling an official offer,
Manchester United’s dream of persuading Ronaldo to return to Old
Trafford was and remains a genuine one.

 A public and private charm offensive kicked off in earnest around
the time the Premier League champions drew the Spanish giants in
the Champions League last December and reached a crescendo when the
prolific Portuguese arrived back on his former stomping ground in
March and duly scored the decisive goal in the tie.

 The reception he was afforded that night struck a chord with the
player who had felt unloved and unappreciated in the Spanish
capital. That he spent time after the match catching up with his
former team-mates and speaking so positively of his former
employers, to the extent that he appeared to be leaving the door
open for a return, gave United’s hierarchy belief they were capable
of pulling off an astonishing coup.

 In truth, however, the stratospheric sums involved were always
likely to prove the most significant barrier, alongside Madrid’s
reluctance to sell, to a deal being stuck.