Manchester City are desperate to land a genuine superstar this summer, in the aim of making a serious challenge for the Champions League, with Cristiano Ronaldo one of the names firmly on their radar, according to Metro.

The report states that City will use the estimated £19 million recouped from the sale of Mario Balotelli to fund a move for either Real Madrid’s Ronaldo or Radamel Falcao from Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo’s future has been a source of almost constant speculation since he revealed earlier in the season that he was unhappy with Madrid. Ronaldo has yet to sign an extension to his current contract, which is set to expire in the summer of 2015.

But the Portuguese forward recently claimed that he had no intention of leaving the Bernabeu before that date.

“I want to see out my contract at Real Madrid: I'm very clear about that” he told FIFA.com. “After that, well, I don't know what'll happen in the future."

Discussion about a transfer will continue, though, until Ronaldo signs a new deal, with Madrid unlikely to be prepared to allow the 27-year-old to run down his contract and leave for nothing.

Manchester United have been strongly linked with a move to bring Ronaldo back to the club which he left Madrid for in a record £80 million deal back in 2009. Ronaldo and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson continue to talk highly of each other, although Ferguson has called the player “Unbuyable” because of the enormous fee he would command.

Money certainly wouldn’t be a problem for City and they would doubtless pay whatever it took to appease Madrid, should Ronaldo be willing to move. But it is difficult to see Ronaldo moving to the fierce rivals of a team that he has a lot of affection for and whose fans still remember his time at Old Trafford fondly.

Having dreamed of playing for Madrid since his youth, it remains unlikely that Ronaldo will push for a move at this stage. Reports in Spain have suggested that a new deal for Ronaldo could well be signed to coincide with Madrid president Florentino Perez’s reelection bid this summer. 

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