Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has batted away the prospect of his side making a move for Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo by claiming that he will not be paying an extortionate amount for a “substitute”.
The Portuguese forward has endured a nightmare few months at Old Trafford having originally lodged a request to leave the club just a year after sealing an emotional return from Juventus.
An exit proved impossible to facilitate with numerous potentially interested clubs falling by the wayside but that has not halted speculation. Brazilian club Flamengo were the latest to be linked with a swoop for the 37-year-old but those rumours were very quickly shot down by club president Landim.
He has claimed that Ronaldo's wages would simply not fit into their budget - and suggested that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be consigned to the substitutes’ bench should he move to Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking on the ‘Papo Reto’ podcast, Landim said: “I don't know where it came from but they have a lot of creativity. First of all, I ask: For whose place? It's to be on the bench.”
"From what I've read on the internet, I don't know if it's true or not, he would have been offered $242million [£215m] for a two-year contract. Divided by 24 months, that's about $10m a month.
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“Talk about a value far above the entire salary sheet of Flamengo for Cristiano Ronaldo. To be Pedro or Gabigol's [Gabriel Barbosa] substitute? I can't… nobody here is going to go crazy things.
“The amateur time of managing, of thinking that in the future we'll pay the bills, that no longer exists. There is no possibility of taking a step that is not firm.”
It now remains to be seen where Ronaldo will go but he seems sure to leave United over the next year. His contract with the Red Devils expires next summer having only put pen to paper on a two-year deal.
Whilst Landim has rejected the prospect of Flamengo making a move for the Portuguese, he is not optimistic about their chances of signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar either.
He continued: “I don't know how much Neymar earns. I've heard that it will be close to four million euros [£3.48m] per month. If we consider that amount, he will not want to come to Flamengo given what I will be able to offer him, within the wage structure.
“He will have a better proposal from outside. It's natural, it's the market. There are clubs with much bigger budgets than Flamengo that will be interested in an exceptional player like Neymar. Having Neymar would be a dream for any club in Brazil, I have no doubts.
“I think he will play outside of Brazil for some time because he is exceptional. The clubs that can pay salaries of exceptional players like him are abroad [not in Brazil].”
