Manchester United have growing belief they can sign two-time Ballon d’Or winner

Manchester United are increasingly confident that they can sign Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, reports the Daily Mirror.

The Portuguese played for the Red Devils before joining Los Merengues in a record-breaking £80 million deal [BBC]. He managed 118 goals in 292 appearances for the Premier League side and has gone on to score 313 in 302 matches for Los Blancos, so a return to Old Trafford would be welcomed by supporters.

The 30-year-old has a tense relationship with current Bernabeu boss Rafael Benitez according to the Mirror, and this is what has given United hope that they can entice the two-time Ballon d’Or winner away from the Spanish capital. Earlier in the summer it was reported that the forward was unhappy with the former Liverpool manager’s training, labelling a crossbar challenge as ‘sh*t’ [AS via Daily Mail].

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However, they are still targeting Gareth Bale as their first-choice transfer target.

The Welshman was booed by fans during the last campaign after failing to reach the heights of his awe-inspiring debut season. However, the 26-year-old has asserted his desire to stay with the Spanish side and help them to win the Champions League again [The Sun via Sky Sports]. This could leave United with their former player as the only option if they want a top-level forward.

They have also been linked to Barcelona’s Neymar [The Sun], but the 23-year-old has now rubbished those rumours [The Sun]. The rejection could be what has made the Red Devils turn to the Real pair.