New contract......New value

Manchester United have opened talks with Cristiano Ronaldo over a new contract, but they may have to break their wage structure and offer him more than £120,000 a week if they are to persuade him to reject the persistent overtures from Barcelona and Real Madrid at the end of the season.

Ronaldo revealed yesterday that negotiations over a new deal had begun, telling a Portuguese radio station that “I hope to reach an agreement as soon as possible”, but he also reiterated his longstanding ambition to play in Spain. At 22, he has time on his side, but his words serve as a warning that retaining his services in the long term is likely to be one battle after another.

For now, United are quietly confident that the Portugal winger will commit his future to the club by signing a second new contract in 16 months. His present deal, which was signed in November 2005, runs until June 2010 and is worth an estimated £70,000 a week.

United are prepared to increase that to £100,000 a week, which would put him alongside Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney at the top of the Old Trafford payroll, but sources indicated last night that Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, is seeking a sum closer to £120,000 a week to reflect his value as one of the world’s elite players.

United would prefer to retain their existing wage structure, which operates on several tiers, but they will do everything possible to accommodate Ronaldo in recognition of his outstanding form since signing his most recent contract.

With more than three years left on that deal, it is less a question of securing his future than of rewarding him for his performances in an attempt to stave off interest from Real, who have informed third parties that they would be prepared to offer United a world-record fee in excess of £48 million to take him to Madrid this summer, and Barcelona.

Both Spanish clubs have been encouraged to believe that Ronaldo plans to join them sooner rather than later, but his personal circumstances have changed since last summer, when a Spanish girlfriend — from whom he has since separated — was understood to be encouraging him to move to Madrid, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the World Cup finals, when he was vilified by sections of the media for his role in Portugal’s elimination of England at the quarter-final stage.

Sir Alex Ferguson, among others, has spoken of Ronaldo’s newfound contentment in Manchester, the manager saying that all Spain has to offer is better weather. As the player left Old Trafford on Wednesday night, after United’s Champions League victory over Lille, he said: “I would like to play in Spain one day, but I am happy here at Manchester. We have talked [about a new contract]. Nothing has been decided yet and I would like to stay.”

Ronaldo’s feelings for United have been strengthened by their success this season, with the 1-0 second-leg win over Lille continuing their quest for honours on three fronts.

That mission has been hit in the past week by injuries — most notably Mikaël Silvestre’s dislocated shoulder and Louis Saha’s pulled hamstring — but David Beckham, the Real midfield player, believes that his former club can repeat their feat of 1999, when they won the Premiership title, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

“I can see United winning everything this season,” Beckham said in an interview promoting the exhibition match at Old Trafford on Tuesday between United and a Rest of Europe XI.

“I believe that because I’ve seen the football they play and I’ve seen the togetherness of the team. They’ve played some amazing football this season and I do believe that they can go all the way.”

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