Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as the favourites to rope in Cristiano Ronaldo if he leaves Real Madrid after the French club held talks with his agent Jorge Mendes in Cardiff.
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly informed the Real Madrid hierarchy that he wants to part ways with the Los Blancos this summer which has now sparked rumours of interest from top-flight European clubs
The former Manchester United forward is ‘outraged’ after being accused of evading €14.7 million (£13m) in tax by Spanish prosecutors.
Ronaldo’s decision to leave the Spanish champions is ‘irreversible’ and the player has already informed Madrid president Florentino Perez of his desire to quit.
Earlier this week, the prosecutor’s office in Madrid confirmed that a lawsuit has been filed against the 32-year-old.
Ronaldo has since been asked about the charges levied against him and replied: ‘I have a clear conscience.’
The prosecutor’s office in Madrid is accusing Ronaldo of using a ‘business structure’ to hide the income received from image rights between 2011 and 2014.
Ronaldo now wants to leave Spain if convicted for tax evasion this summer.
And if he part ways with the European champions, PSG will lead the race for his signatures, having already discussed possibilities of a move with Jorge Mendes in Cardiff two weeks ago.
FootTheBall sources revealed that Ronaldo’s agent Mendes held talks with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on the afternoon of the Champions League final on June 3.
Mendes held a two-hour meeting with Al-Khelaifi at the city’s Hilton Hotel.
Mendes is believed to be in good terms with the Ligue 1 club and had gave them another former Manchester United player Angel di Maria, and is also eyeing to place other clients this summer, including Real Madrid defender Pepe.
FootTheBall understands that Mendes informed Al-Khelaifi that Ronaldo is set to face problems in Spain and the PSG chief urged to be kept informed about further developments.
Ronaldo has been under the radar of PSG for years and they are aware what the Portugal skipper could offer them – both commercially and on the pitch. The Ligue 1 club were close on signing him 18 months ago, but the former Man Utd had signed a new long-term contract at Real Madrid.
PSG failed to defend the Ligue 1 title after the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic last summer and now they would willingly break the bank to secure the services of the world’s best player to bolster their attack for the next season.
Al-Khelaifi is known as the most powerful man in French football and would leave no stone unturned to land Ronaldo at PSG.
