Madrid Still Want Ronaldo-Schuster

The football-following breathed a collective sigh of relief when the transfer window closed on September 1.

The silly season was over: no more wild rumours filling up the newspapers; no more ridiculous speculation about so-and-so wanting to leave such-and-such; and, most of all, no more talk of Cristiano Ronaldo's uncertain future.

Real Madrid's attempts to sign the Portuguese winger created undoubtedly the summer's most tawdry and tedious saga, one made all the more nauseating by the fact it all came to nothing.

The respite has been fleeting, however, as it has taken only six weeks for the next series of this soapy saga to air after Schuster told Marca recently that he is confident Ronaldo will be at the Bernabeu this time next year.

And the German tactician has followed up by urging Blancos president Ramon Calderon to spare no expense when the chase resumes in mid-2009.

"He has to be my No 1 priority. I’ll expect Real to do everything in its power to bring me Cristiano," Schuster said in The Sun.

"Now if United want €90m then that’s what we’ll pay. You offer less and you won’t get him. I’ll be asking the club to pay what United want."