Cristiano Ronaldo shelves dream move to Madrid

Manchester United will continue to tolerate the diva-like behaviour of Cristiano Ronaldo in the Old Trafford dressing-room next season after it emerged last night that the World Player of the Year is close to dropping his pursuit of a move to Real Madrid for another 12 months.
However, United’s players are far more concerned about the imminent departure of Carlos Tévez, who is giving serious consideration to a controversial move to Liverpool or Manchester City.
As United edged closer to a third consecutive Premier League title on Sunday, the two forwards took some of the gloss off their 2-0 derby victory over City. Tévez expressed his displeasure with the Old Trafford hierarchy with his goal celebration before Ronaldo reacted to his second-half substitution with a hissy fit that challenged the authority of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The two acts of petulance were the talk of the United dressing-room afterwards, but, whereas Ronaldo has told team-mates that he intends to stay even if Real come calling again this summer, the impasse over Tévez has led a handful of players to float the idea of a collective plea to the board to sign up the Argentina forward.
The reality, which appeared to be lost on him as he celebrated his goal against City by cupping his ears to the directors’ box in an attempt to expose the deafening silence from the boardroom, is that Tévez is falling victim to his own circumstances at Old Trafford.
In an ideal world, Ferguson would retain Tévez’s services after his two-year lease arrangement expires on June 30, but the United manager agrees with David Gill, the chief executive, that a permanent transfer has been rendered almost impossible first by his uniquely complicated situation — with a £22 million transfer fee due to the companies that own his “economic rights” in addition to his wages and the £10 million lease fee that has already been paid — and second by his difficulties in accepting the squad rotation system.
In the absence of an offer from United, whom he has accused of making him feel unwanted, Tévez is prepared to consider joining Liverpool or City as well as Chelsea, Inter Milan or Real, all of whom are free to negotiate with his adviser, Kia Joorabchian, with no objection from Old Trafford.
The Spanish club remain favourites to sign him, but the player made clear in an interview published in a Sunday newspaper that he is more than open to the idea of staying in England with one of United’s domestic rivals. The Tévez camp believe that staying in the North West, where he and his family are settled, holds a strong appeal for him and that signing for Liverpool or City would make sense if he is persuaded that he would be central to their plans.
Liverpool’s interest in Tévez, 25, was first revealed in The Times last month, with Rafael Benítez eager to sign a centre forward to ease the goalscoring burden on Fernando Torres, whose hamstring problems have caused him to miss a large chunk of the season.
Benítez is confident that Tévez could be tempted to Anfield by the presence of Javier Mascherano, the Argentina captain, who is also a client of Joorabchian and with whom he played at Corinthians and West Ham United.
City cannot offer Champions League football, but the appeal of signing the forward has grown on Garry Cook, the chief executive, and Mark Hughes, the manager, since it was first proposed in January. Backed by the enormous wealth of Sheikh Mansour, the owner, the club believe that they can offer Tévez a scenario in which he would be the leading player in a team who plan to be contenders in the Premier League next season.
The prospect of stealing an established player from United holds a strong appeal for City, but it would also be a deal that could take them to a higher level on the pitch and potentially attract other signings.
Real remain favourites, however, and their desire to sign Tévez may be increased by growing doubts about their ability to lure Ronaldo. The Portugal forward has appeared to be pining for Madrid since his “dream” move was blocked by Ferguson last summer, but, even if his petulant reaction to his substitution on Sunday seemed to be that of a disillusioned player, Ronaldo is believed to be leaning towards staying in Manchester for one more year.
Ronaldo’s mood has been known to fluctuate with the city’s weather, but if, as it seems, he is willing to stay at Old Trafford, his histrionics will be tolerated — within reason — if he can continue to drive United to further success in the Champions League and the Premier League.

Courtesy of Times Online