Of course they will pay what they say they will pay and Ronaldo knows that. No doubt the offer of £300,000 a week AFTER TAX was made to Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes as well as the world media.

Julio Gomes Filho, the journalist who Ronaldo apparently gave the interview to, declared to Sky Sports News today that the quotes were not from today but wouldn’t specify when they were said. He did reveal that the Brazilian website has had them since at least 3rd June. Obviously we don’t know what’s going on in private but the £300,000 a week offer hadn’t hit the media on the 3rd June and if Ronaldo had already decided by then I would imagine Real Madrid to know about it before any Brazilian journalists.

Ronaldo has never hidden his desire to one day play in Spain and has spoken about it many times. With this in mind and the ambiguity over when these latest quotes are actually from it is difficult to see whether he is being quoted out of context.

The journalist also reported Ronaldo as saying “From now on I will not talk again about this until the end of the Euros. It is not worth asking me because I will not reply”.

Whether these latest reports are genuine or not (we suspect the latter), Terra are certainly making a big splash with this latest “exclusive” and that always raises questions over motives. Perhaps my judgment is clouded by the skills and trickery of the world’s best player but something just doesn’t add up with these latest reports. For us, the timing and the source of the story raise one or two more questions than they answer. The saga continues.

Ramsey has put in some impressive displays for Cardiff this season and his role in getting Cardiff to the FA Cup final was not unnoticed by top flight managers. Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Newcastle were all interested and it is believed Arsenal have also had a bid accepted. Manchester United will loan Ramsey back to Cardiff for a season should the deal go through and it is thought this puts United in the lead in the race for his signature.

Ramsey has been likened to fellow Welsh star Ryan Giggs and indeed plays a lot of his football from the wing. Having seen him play a few times, I am not convinced his role at United would be on the flank. As good as he is, he just doesn’t have the pace. What he does have however is a brilliant touch, fantastic vision and the ability to deliver the perfect pass. Lacking in speed his work rate is second to none and his movement is devastating to defenders. Ramsey prefers to play in the middle and I have seen him drift in a few times when playing wide.

Assuming Aaron Ramsey signs for Manchester United, Fergie will have an abundance of central midfielders. Even with Scholes nearing the end of his career this latest signing must certainly cast a shadow over Darren Fletcher and his future at Old Trafford. With Ramsey in the team, Fletcher looks surplus to requirements so unless Darren plays a blinder next season, that Stadium of Light will beckon.

Pique signed for Manchester United from Barcelona in 2004 and was tipped as one to watch but the impressive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have made it almost impossible for Pique to get a regular starting place. At age 21, Pique is desperate for first team football and that will not be available to him at Old Trafford. Pique is not bitter about the departure though, in an open letter published on manutd.com he said “Obviously I would have liked to play more this season, but I must say that despite some difficult decisions, the manager has always treated me in an exceptional manner, for which I am extremely grateful.” He went on to thank the fans saying he will always carry United in his heart and hoped the fans understood his decision to leave.

Speaking of his time at United, Pique said “As a player you grow a lot, personally and in a footballing sense. In this last aspect you learn a lot just by being surrounded by players of such a high level. With Manchester United we won the Champions League, which is an unforgettable experience and one which I would like to repeat in a Barca shirt.”

Should we have let him go?

There is no doubt Pique has bags of potential and I firmly believe he will go on to be one the best centre backs in the game. That said, it seems a bit of a mistake to offload him especially when it looks like Silvestre may be following him out the door leaving us a bit short in defence. Any injury to Vidic or Ferdinand would surely mean games for Pique. On the other hand, Barcelona is the team he has supported all his life and they are prepared to give him games, how could he turn the opportunity down?

The Spanish media is full of this story at the moment and what is perhaps more disturbing, the Portuguese media are running the story and claim that Ronaldo is ready to leave. Many journalists in Portugal believe that Cristiano has completed his training at Old Trafford, reached the pinnacle of his career and basically ‘achieved it all’ at Manchester United. He has won the Premiership more than once and after the Champions League final victory in Moscow, what else is there?

Ronaldo has always insisted it is a dream of his to play in Spain but also recently said “not all dreams come true”. What is for certain is that Ronaldo will make his decision AFTER the Euros. If you need some positive news, Ronaldo is recently quoted as saying his club will be happy with the decision he makes. The killer question now has to be does he mean happy he’s staying or happy financially? I seriously hope the former!

According to Sky Sports News, Real Madrid are prepared to make Ronaldo the highest paid payer at the club (and in the world) with weekly wages in excess of £220,000 which dwarfs the measly £120,000 a week he is getting now. I know footballers have a relatively short career and like to earn as much as they can, but surely once you hit the £5 million a year mark, money becomes irrelevant? I believe Cristiano Ronaldo is a football player who loves playing football and I don’t think the money will be a factor in his decision to move.

One thing is clear, if Ronaldo does decide to stay, we will be going through this sage every year until he leaves.

When drawn upon the subject, Calderon said “I do not want to make promises which cannot be kept but we are the richest club in the world”. Well Mr Calderon, you know what you can do with your record breaking offer?