The battle for Ronaldo: United, City, Chelsea, PSG and more clubs in the hunt

It hasn't been the best week for Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite scoring in Real Madrid's victory over Barcelona to claim the Spanish Supercup, the Portuguese was quickly overshadowed by Andres Iniesta when he lost out to the Spaniard for the title of UEFA's 2012 Player of the Year. It didn't stop there however, with Ronaldo dropping a bomb on Real Madrid by admitting to the press on Sunday night that he was unhappy at Real Madrid. There will be no shortage of clubs interested in the star should he decide to leave, but few can afford him. talkSPORT have more...

What caused all the fuss?
After a brace against Granada that virtually handed three points to Real Madrid on a plate, Cristiano Ronaldo should have been a happy man. All was clearly not well however when a sour-faced Ronaldo told the press after that match that he didn't celebrate his goals because he was 'sad'. Ronaldo elaborated with a cryptic message that "people in the club know why" and it was on a "professional level". The Spanish press went one step further, claiming that Ronaldo personally asked Real Madrid president Florentino Perez to leave the club, and some papers even went as far as saying that Ronaldo has already spoken with PSG director of football Leonardo over a possible move. Theories about why Ronaldo is so miserable range from a falling out with team mate Marcelo, to anger at the treatment of Kaka, and perhaps more plausibly, the hike in income tax in Spain which means the striker will now pay 43% tax instead of the 24% he paid in the past. The Madrid man could therefore be looking for a new contract at the club, but with the Spaniards in no position to waste cash, could big-money sides like PSG, Manchester City or Chelsea land the biggest transfer coup of all time come January? Here are our most likely destinations should it happen...

Club: Manchester City

Reasons in favour of a move
City can pay big money, but the one thing that sets them aside from most of Ronaldo's other potential suitors is the level of competition they can offer. We can debate over whether the Premier League is the best league in the world, but there's no debating that it's one of the top competitions in football, and the opportunity to compete in a side that challenges for the title on a yearly basis will have an obvious appeal for one of the world's best players. Moreover, City are now looking to move to the next level and challenge for the biggest European club prize of them all, the Champions League, and Ronaldo could be the player that enables them to do that. Winning the club's first league title in nearly fifty years is one thing, but imagine being the player to win them their first European Cup ever? That would surely appeal to the CR7's narcissistic side.

Reasons against a move
Ronaldo has already done everything there is to do in England and Europe with Manchester United, and despite leaving the club for European rivals Real Madrid, he nonetheless remains a legend in the eyes of many of their supporters. Moving to their biggest local and domestic rivals Manchester City is a different thing altogether however, and though the Madrid man hardly lacks confidence, the tiniest slip-up at the Etihad could have grave consequences for his reputation. Ronaldo gets his fair share of stick for his attitude, but he has always expressed his gratitude to Sir Alex Ferguson and United, so there's little evidence to suggest he would want to slap them in the face by joining City.

How a deal could be done
City have all the money in the world, but if Real Madrid are going to lose their star player they may expect something more in return. Real have long coveted Kun Aguero, and some kind of swap plus money deal could be the best solution for both parties. Aguero is almost four years younger than Ronaldo and could arguably prove more useful in the long term for the Madrid side, so there's a clear incentive for a deal.

Club: Manchester United

Reasons in favour of a move
Life was less complicated for Ronaldo at Manchester United, where the Madrid man was undoubtedly the star of the show. Though Ronnie's Real worries seem to have their routes in money, it has also been suggested that the affection for Iker Casillas shown by the likes of Marcelo has left him somewhat jealous, and that he was equally irked when Sergio Ramos took to twitter to say Andres Iniesta deserved his UEFA 2012 Player of the Year award. Ronaldo's price tag was always going to make him a divisive figure, particularly among the established homegrown players at Madrid, and it looks like the tension is finally taking its toll. Manchester United can offer him somewhere that truly feels like home, where he developed from a promising young talent to a global star, and where he still has several close friends. At Old Trafford he could concentrate on playing football again.

Reasons against a move
United simply don't have the money to compete with clubs like City or PSG, and from Real Madrid's point of view that would be a huge stumbling block. Moreover, if Ronaldo is really irked about how much he's being paid, it's unlikely that the Red Devils could afford to give him the contract he wants if Real can't in the first place. Money makes the footballing world go round, not romantic notions of homecomings, and United don't have enough cold hard cash for CR7.

How a deal could be done
If the rumours are true then Wayne Rooney's days at United could be drawing to a close, so the Red Devils could use him to lower the price of their former darling. From a Madrid point of view, if they could get the best out of the England international they could reap the rewards, but there's no doubt that he'd be a downgrade from Ronaldo regardless. That being said, and unhappy Ronaldo may be of little use anyway.

Club: PSG

Reasons in favour of a move
If PSG continue to spend the way they did this summer, then trophies are only a matter of time for the team from the French capital, and Ronaldo would find a title he has yet to win in Ligue 1. Above all, the opportunity to play alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore in the PSG attack could be hugely tempting for the Portuguese, particularly when taking on some of Europe's biggest clubs in the Champions League.

Reasons against a move
Ligue 1 is undoubtedly a weaker league than La Liga and the Premier League, so there would be a clear step down for Ronaldo in terms of the domestic football he'd find with PSG. Would the Portuguese really enjoy strolling to league trophies without maximum effort, as would likely be the case if he joined the French side, with all due respect to their competitors? For a player still chasing World Player of the Year awards it would surely be difficult to accept moving down a level, and moreover, as Manchester City showed last year, a rise to power on a domestic level doesn't necessarily guarantee instant success in Europe, either. Worse still, could the egos of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo exist in the same team? In all likelihood, disaster would only be one step away at any given moment.

How a deal could be done
Perhaps the issue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo sharing the same team could be a non-starter in the first place. Jose Mourinho has long admired the Swedish forward since his days at Inter, and it's thought that he was interesting in bringing him to Real at some stage over his tenure. Bringing Ibra to Madrid would give Real something completely different to Ronaldo in an attempt to replace him, and the Swede would have no shortage of motivation in attempting to undo his old team Barcelona.

Club: Anzhi Makhachkala

Reasons in favour of a move
If Ronaldo's looking for money, then there's no shortage in Russia, with Anzhi unlikely to stop spending any time soon in their quest for glory. The Portuguese would leave a huge legacy if he helped establish the Russian side in Europe, and that could appeal to his ego even more than trophies or individual awards. In Samuel Eto'o and Yuri Zhirkov he'll find talented footballers that could play for most top European sides, and the Portuguese would likely be joined by more top names by the time he arrives.

Reasons against a move
If Ligue 1 is a step down for Ronaldo then the Russian Premier League is a blind leap of faith. Besides the competitive drop for the forward, could he really hack the change of climate and culture? For someone that spent much of his free time with Manchester United jetting back to warmer climates, the prospect of a Russian winter may be enough to make him run a mile. Anzhi's project is just getting off the ground too, so it could be a long haul for Ronnie. Perhaps when his career is beginning to wind down a move would make sense, but when he's at the peak of his powers it's hard to see it happening.

How a deal could be done
Simply put, the only thing Anzhi have to offer Real Madrid is money, so they would need to throw a hell of a lot of it at both the Spanish club and Ronaldo in order to convince them to make a move. Even then, the step down to Russian football may be a step too far.

Club: FC Barcelona

Reasons in favour of a move
Lionel Messi. Can you imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in the same team? Frightening!

Reasons against a move
Lionel Messi. Can you imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi in the same team? Frightening!

How a deal could be done
All joking aside, could Ronaldo and Messi really co-exist in the same team? If the answer is yes for the Portuguese then the attraction of playing with some of the best players of an era is clear. Though many will claim Ronaldo is too selfish for Barcelona's game, it's somewhat unfair on the forward, who has made clear efforts to try and supply his team mates more frequently in recent seasons with Real. Barcelona don't have the money to convince their greatest rivals to sell however, and there's probably only a handful of their players that would convince Madrid to do some kind of swap, all of whom are considered indispensable for the Catalans. Stranger things have happened in football however. Remember Luis Figo?

Club: Chelsea

Reasons in favour of a move
If Roman Abramovich's attempts to rebuild Chelsea go to plan, Ronaldo may find a Blues side much closer to the kind of football he's accustomed to in Spain by the time a potential move came around. With attackers like Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar playing with him, the Portuguese could demand the best service around. Better still, Chelsea have made a habit in the past of catching Barcelona out, and the temptation of sticking one to Lionel Messi could bee too much for the comic-book Villain!

Reasons against a move
If evolution at Chelsea means defending like they did against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, then no amount of Ronaldo magic will save them from failure. Chelsea's success against Barcelona came through their 'old' football, but their 'new' football could just end up with embarrassment when pitted against the Catalans, and if there's one thing that Ronaldo hates it's being embarrassed by Messi!

How a deal could be done
With a lot of money. The difference between Chelsea and Anzhi however is that the Blues can point to a recent Champions League trophy for evidence of their ability to compete at the top. Moreover, should Roberto Di Matteo no longer be in the Chelsea job by the time a transfer came around, would anyone bet against the outside chance of Jose Mourinho making his triumphant Stamford Bridge return, bringing his star player with him?

The verdict
Out of all the clubs able to afford Ronaldo's services, Manchester City probably present the most attractive option in terms of their competitiveness, style and success, but the major stumbling block is their rivalry with Ronnie's old club and mentor. The only real way to test his loyalty to Sir Alex and the Red Devils would be a lucrative offer from Manchester City however, and as many football players have shown in the past, it could be said that there's no such thing as true loyalty in football.

Could Ronaldo really leave Madrid, or is it all just a ploy to get more money? Leave a comment and have your say...