Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly open to joining David Beckham 's Inter Miami after the Manchester United legend lined up a stunning transfer swoop.
Beckham's Florida-based franchise want to sign Ronaldo, who remains desperate to leave Old Trafford amid a nightmare start to life under new manager Erik ten Hag. The 37-year-old superstar failed to secure a move away from Manchester in the summer, much thanks to United's reluctance to sell him, but now Red Devils boss Ten Hag is believed to be willing to sanction a sale in January.
And that's alerted Beckham and co over in the United States, having failed in a bid to sign Ronaldo a few months ago after United insisted that a fee would be needed in order for them to part ways with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. With a £30m package on the table, the Sun report that Ronaldo would 'seriously consider' a move to Miami.
The Portugal captain's preference is still to remain in Europe, with Paris Saint-Germain said to be an option next summer - but only if their own megastar, Lionel Messi, packs his bags. Ronaldo wants a transfer in January, though, hoping to use the World Cup in Qatar which runs from November 20 to December 18 this year to showcase his talents to a club competing in the Champions League.
However, the glitz and glamor of life in Miami could tempt him to leave his home continent sooner than expected, with Inter soon set to lose their top earner - Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain - after he announced his retirement this week. The MLS outfit are managed by ex-United utility man Phil Neville, who's staved off pressure on his position to guide Inter into this season's play-offs.
Beckham has never hidden his desire to bring the likes of Ronaldo and Messi to Miami, hoping that the Florida lifestyle can convince the pair of footballing powerhouses to swap Europe for the US. "To be honest, it's not a difficult pitch," the former Red Devils told ESPN. "You just say 'Miami' and they're like, 'okay!'"
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Beckham - who's president of the club, founded four years ago - added: "Without a doubt, those are the type of players that we aspire to bring to our club. I think that the fans would really appreciate that. But, you know, as owners, we want players here that are driven, that want to win, and that's our priority. With Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuain, these are players that we feel add to the glitz and the glamour of what the club is.
"Going forward, we also want to bring other players in if we have the opportunity to bring some great names in, you obviously mentioned Leo and Cristiano. They've been at the top of their game for the last 15 years because of hard work. Sir Alex Ferguson was a master at it.
"He didn't always bring in the best player in the world. He didn't always bring in the top player. He bought the right player for the club. And I think that that’s the one thing that I take into our club, is the player has to be right."
