Ronaldo to break his silence this week?

Madrid don't seem to take no for an answer but then again why should they? Year after year they make a sly approach for a player, claiming that said player wants to join only to be told that they will be taken to FIFA - which, let's face it never happens - before the player signs on the dotted line for the Spanish outfit.

It's old news now that the same is happening this Summer and the superstar in Madrid's sights is Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's manager Sir Alex Ferguson has already come out and used the usual 'hands off' approach to the situation and claimed that indeed FIFA will be involved but those pesky so-and-so's at Real are reluctant to let the matter drop.

Real President, Roman Calderon relishes mind-games as much as Ferguson and this week told the BBC that,

"We know they [United] aren't a selling club. It is a problem between player and team", hinting that perhaps a rift is becoming apparent between the Portuguese star and his current club.

United are keen not to let Ronaldo leave, however, and after firing them to a Premier League and Champions League double you wouldn't expect anything less.

The heat has certainly been turned up on the situation especially as it seems that Madrid believe Ronaldo will sign, leading Ferguson to hold a meeting with United's owners, the Glazer family.

This is where the story becomes a little more interesting and where Ronaldo may begin to feel that he is stuck in the middle of real power struggle over one of the games biggest assets.

Following his meeting with the Glazer's, Ferguson came out and said that their stance on the matter is clear:

"They'd sit a player in the stand ... absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point"

His fury is clear to see, he claims that the Glazer's attitude towards Real's approach is 'To hell with them', but what about Ronaldo's? After all he is in the middle of this tussle and has been somewhat left without a say in the matter.

Well, according to reports Ronaldo will be ready to clear up the whole situation as to where he would like to be playing next season but whether it will be the Premiership or La Liga really is anyone's guess, but the extent to which Ronaldo has been silent on the matter could hint at a dramatic revelation before the end of the week.

Cristiano recently signed a new contract with the Red Devils tying him down at Old Trafford until 2012 meaning that if Madrid really were going to go 'all in' for the winger, United would demand an astronomical fee for his transfer. Figures in the region of £80 million were rumoured to be the asking price for Barcelona's Lionel Messi after Chelsea were linked with the wonderkid recently and it would be no surprise to see United asking for an even greater sum for Ronaldo.

The winger himself has been busy preparing with the Portugal side ahead of their Euro 2008 campaign and if in the coming days it is to be revealed that Ronaldo will leave, his final game could not have been on a bigger stage, heading the opening goal in United's ultimately triumphant Champions League encounter with Chelsea last month.