Ronaldo stuns United by saying: 'Let me go to Real'

The clearest indication yet that Cristiano Ronaldo has set his heart on leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid emerged yesterday when the player effectively told the Spanish side to pay the asking price to release him.

Ronaldo's apparent first open discussion of his future, with a Madrid-based Brazilian journalist currently in Switzerland, has delivered the first direct suggestion from the player himself that he wants to leave. "I would like to play for Real Madrid but only if it's true they are ready to pay what Manchester United ask of them," Ronaldo said. "However, it does not depend on me. From today I'm not going to talk about this topic with anyone at all. I'll only talk about this again after the European Championships. Don't ask me about it again because I won't answer."

The words were provided on Wednesday night to Julio Filho, a Madrid-based journalist for the Brazilian website, Terra, who is known to be close to Acaz Fellegger, the agent of Portugal national manager Luis Felipe Scolari. One theory in Portugal is that Scolari encouraged their publication, in order to get the subject dealt with before Portugal's opening game in the tournament, in Geneva tomorrow. Filho, a mainstream journalist, also works for the official Uefa website.

Last weekend Ronaldo promised his decision by Tuesday or Wednesday and the issue of his future with United seems to be coming to a head in precisely the timeframe he has been predicting for several weeks. There is a suggestion in some quarters that the player was infuriated by Sir Alex Ferguson's suggestions, last week, that the Glazer family are prepared to let the player "sit in the stand" rather than leave United for Real.

One report suggests this has contributed to an unwillingness on the player's part to meet Ferguson at Portugal's training camp to discuss the situation – despite a willingness on the part of Scolari to receive the United manager. Ferguson and his assistant flew to Switzerland to talk to him after he was involved in Wayne Rooney's sending-off for England at the last World Cup.

Since United – who were last night maintaining their stance that Ronaldo will remain at the club for the foreseeable future – say they are not prepared to sell at any price, the player's comments do not necessarily make his departure imminent. But they are storing up a profoundly difficult period for the club when Ronaldo returns to Manchester – after United's pre-season tour of South Africa and Nigeria, should Portugal progress beyond the Euro 2008 quarter-finals.

Ronaldo's mother, Dolores, did little to clear up the picture when, at Lisbon airport on her way to out to Portugal to see her son play in the tournament yesterday, she said: "He should stay in Manchester." The player's Spanish girlfriend said this week she was confused about his intentions.

Madrid's president, Ramon Calderon, having publicly declared on Monday that they could do nothing about a transfer if United did not wish to sell, will now be encouraged to offer a world record fee – £64m is a figure which many in Spain believe Real are prepared to pay – and test the resolve of the English champions to keep a player who scored 42 goals last season as they won the Premier League and Champions League.

Ferguson will certainly not be enjoying his holiday in France as much as he should on the back of those triumphs. He is already furious about Real's attempts to destabilise his player through a series of leaks to the Madrid-based daily sports newspaper Marca.

Ferguson's mood will certainly not have been improved when former United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy – who left Old Trafford under a cloud – suggested his old team-mate should join him at Real. Van Nistelrooy said: "For Madrid it would be a very important signing because it is a club that signs the best players in the world and that is what he is. Cristiano can give so many things to the team. He is young and he has everything."

Ferguson considers United to be victims of a Real conspiracy. "It's intimidation of us," he said recently. "We've reported it, but Fifa don't bother. Real are so powerful and it's become accepted. Believe me, he will not be leaving here in the next two years at least. No question."

Ronaldo has not given a press conference since Portugal arrived at their training camp to prepare for tomorrow's match against Turkey and he will not appear today, when Scolari and Nuno Gomes will inevitably be questioned about the issue.

A Portuguese Football Association spokesman clashed yesterday with a British journalist who dared to raise the issue. "We're here to prepare for the European Championship and these are club affairs," the spokesman said. "If you ask me if this is having any effect on the team I'd have to say no. He is training with a lot of joy."

Ronaldo did appear to be enjoying himself on the Neuchatel Xamax pitch yesterday evening. While he was training, Gilberto Madail, president of the Portugese FA, said: "Our problem is to have the best of Ronaldo at Euro 2008. Ronaldo is a big boy. He thinks for himself."