Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.

 Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.                        Ronaldo  has four Ballons d’Or to his name, has netted 406 goals in his last 394 club games, led Portugal to the European Championship crown last summer and just a couple of weeks ago inspired Real Madrid to a unique second consecutive Champions League triumph.

Throw in the fact that he retains a great love for Manchester United after winning nine trophies in six years with the club between 2003 and 2009, and the reasons Cristiano Ronaldo might be courted extensively by those in power at Old Trafford are obvious.                                                                                                                                                                       Ronaldo is considering leaving Madrid amid accusations by Spanish prosecutors of multi-million euro tax evasion could not be more welcoming for United fans. At a time when their club have plenty of spending power and have a four-year Premier League title drought to address, the availability of the world’s best player comes at almost the perfect time.

Certainly, the new uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo’s situation in Spain will have pricked the ears of Ed Woodward. United’s executive vice-chairman is known for his commercial wisdom, and has made a big deal of ensuring his side are in the hunt for the game’s greatest names since taking the reins behind the scenes following David Gill’s departure as chief-executive in 2013.

The arrivals of Angel di Maria and Paul Pogba drew great attention due in large part to the size of their combined £150 million transfer fees, while Jose Mourinho’s addition as United manager in 2016 was viewed as a blockbuster appointment. The world’s most marketable coach had joined one of the globe’s biggest clubs thanks to a man hell-bent on making United the biggest commercial entity the planet has known. The 32-year-old doesn’t actually leave Madrid. There are plenty of reasons to believe that the player’s current stance comes of nothing other than a knee-jerk reaction to the Spanish prosecutors’ decision to investigate his tax payments.

The only reality that Ronaldo can bank on right now is that is current club is one at which he has flourished enormously. The Blancos are finally fulfilling their ambitions under Zinedine Zidane, with Ronaldo playing an unparalleled part in their successes.

While Real Madrid as a club has always been an institution of worldwide repute, Ronaldo has arguably helped them to reach new heights in the last few years. Their three Champions League titles in four attempts could yet be just the start of their dominance.

The club realise how important Ronaldo is to their success just as much as the player does, and the No.7 will arguably use other clubs’ interests to scare Madrid into submission over a new deal or an agreement to cover any charges levied by the Spanish prosecutors. And if that happens, United could be left looking very silly if they begin to put their carefully-devised transfer plan on hold for the sake of Ronaldo.