Real size up £80m Ronaldo bid

Cristiano Ronaldo says he hopes to "complete his dream" of moving to Real Madrid, despite Manchester United insisting he is not for sale. A United statement said: "We are not listening to offers," but the 23-year-old signalled his intent to "take advantage of a great opportunity".

"Everybody knows what I want but things don't only depend on me," the Portuguese winger said. "I am not the person who decides but I hope to complete my dream."

Real are reportedly set to offer United a world-record €100 million (£79m) for the player or €80m (£63.2m) plus the Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

Ronaldo said he had made up his mind before United's Champions' League final victory over Chelsea last month that he wanted to leave Old Trafford for the Bernabeu. And he revealed that Luiz Felipe Scolari, about to take over at Chelsea after Portugal's exit from Euro 2008, advised him to make the move.

"It is a dream, a step forward," Ronaldo replied when asked about the prospect of playing for Real. "It is a great opportunity and, as Scolari says, that train passes by only once and we have to take advantage of it."

Ronaldo said once again he will make a public statement about his plans over the next couple of days. He insisted he had not spoken to Sir Alex Ferguson during his participation in Euro 2008 – the United manager is on holiday in the South of France. However, he said he is not worried about upsetting the United manager, who is expected to return to England to attend talks with Ronaldo – and United's chief executive, David Gill – to discuss the winger's future.

"It is my opinion," added Ronaldo. "That is why I don't mind if people get upset. It is my decision. It is what I want."

Ronaldo was in sublime form during the domestic season and scored 42 goals as United clinched a Premier League and Champions' League double. United have already reported Real Madrid to the game's world governing body, Fifa, over their public courtship of Ronaldo, although they decided to take no formal action.

The Real president Ramon Calderon says that any prospective transfer is far from a done deal, although he admitted Ronaldo's comments could be a "key step" in the process.

"As we have already said many times, it is a problem between United and the player," Calderon told the Spanish sports newspaper AS. "If the two resolve this situation and United want to call us then we will be happy and delighted with them, because Cristiano is a great player. If the kid keeps himself in that strong position, the step he has taken could be key."

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