Since rumours first broke that Cristiano Ronaldo wants out of Real Madrid the football world has gone into a frenzy. Will he stay or will he go? We don’t address where he would go or where we’d like him to go because two of us are United fans and we’d rather not go there. We still manage to have a good debate, check it out and let us know your thoughts.

 1. Is Ronaldo threatening to leave a ploy for a new contract or is there something tangible here?

Alex: Somewhere in between. He only just signed a new contract so I don’t think it’s that, but I do think it’s his way of saying to the club – “you’d better deal with this.” He’s made it very clear that he wants to stay in Madrid for as long as possible, and I reckon this episode is largely posturing.

Rishay: Its a bit of a surprise to see Ronaldo rumours again so soon after winning 3 CLs in 4 seasons. This is 100% related to the tax issues and if he is trying to get a new deal to navigate around some loopholes, I’m pretty sure there is more grace to it than once again leveraging other potential buyers. On the other hand, why would he choose to leave now? One can’t help but think its the tax issues that could have swayed him and so perhaps there is a small chance he could leave Spain by the end of the transfer window. Still feels a bit unlikely, but definitely tax/contractual related issues for me.

Bernie: I don’t really buy the whole thing about wanting more support from Madrid after the tax scandal broke. It just seems a bit fishy. There’s a rumour going around that both parties have orchestrated this whole thing to ensure a smooth transition for Ronaldo. It all seems rather strange as Florentino Perez said recently. I suspect a relationship somewhere has fallen apart.

2. Will he stay or will he go?

Bernie: Leaving doesn’t make sense for either party. They need each other till death do them part.

Rishay: Hard to answer this question as I seriously can’t imagine Ronaldo in a PSG jersey or a Bayern jersey….He had a lifelong goal of going to RM and has been the greatest player in the club’s history. The only place he would go if he did leave could be back to Manchester United. However, I’m sick of those rumours and should probably just stick to my gut instinct that he isn’t going anywhere.

Alex: He’ll stay.

3. Can Madrid afford to lose him if he goes?

Rishay: Absolutely not, but they’ll likely end up splashing 300-400 million on another set of players to try and replace him, and they’ll fail miserably. The club have absolutely no choice but to keep the player happy!!! Unbelievable…I wish I was that good at something

Bernie: Ronaldo scored 5 versus Bayern Munich, 3 versus Atletico Madrid and 2 versus Juventus. This was the most dominant knockout round display in Champions League history. If Madrid have ambitions of dominating for the next 2-3 years then they can’t afford to lose him. However, even Ronaldo has to slow down some day and the long term view could make sense if Madrid are ready to accept a 1-2 year pause in absolute dominance.

Alex: Yes. Now is the time. Let’s imagine Real made no signings or sales. You’d have Benzema, Morata, Isco, Bale, James (I know, I know), Asensio and Lucas Vasquez for three positions. That is brilliant.

4. Who can replace him?

Rishay: Nobody. However, Everton fans might say Ross Barkley and Liverpool fans might say Coutinho. HAHAHHA!!!

Alex: Now assume that they sell James and probably Morata (dumb, but there you go) and succeed in getting Mbappe. They’re all set. Asensio is absolutely class and deserves more playing time. Isco has come into his own. Bale will be back fit again for the new season. I’m telling you – if you’re going to lose your dependence on Ronaldo, now is the time.

Bernie: Lionel Messi. After that forget about it. No current Madrid player can step up to his levels. Buying Mbappe would be smart but he won’t reach the ruthless dark invader levels required…yet. Ronaldo is a pure force of nature. Real Madrid better hold on for dear life.