Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to approve €100m Real Madrid signing

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Inter striker Mauro Icardi has been in fine form so far this season, but speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid has reportedly not gone down well with Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 24-year-old has scored 13 goals in 13 Serie A outings, which in turn has been crucial for the Nerazzurri in launching a surprise title challenge this season as they sit just two points behind leaders Napoli.

As noted by Eurosport, the Argentine forward is said to have a €100m release clause in his contract, and speculation this week has linked him with a big-money move to Real Madrid, as per AS, who spoke to former AC Milan star Daniele Massaro.

In turn, with talk of a move to the Spanish capital, it seemed as though Inter risked losing a pivotal figure while Madrid would potentially be signing a young striker yet to reach his peak to solve their issues up front as they have faltered both domestically and in Europe so far this season.

Tuesday night’s 6-0 win over APOEL was certainly a step in the right direction and Zinedine Zidane will hope that it leads to an improved run of form now, but it remains to be seen if his side can consistently deliver as they remain light on options up front after selling Alvaro Morata this past summer.

However, according to Don Balon, Ronaldo is not keen on the idea of signing Icardi next summer, and his reasoning is twofold.

Firstly, the Portuguese superstar reportedly believes that it will adversely affect Karim Benzema’s standing in the starting line-up as Icardi will have to be a like-for-like swap given their similar attributes, while he’s also not happy as the Argentine is described as a ‘protege’ of Lionel Messi given their international connection, with the below post used as a case in point.

“With the best in history without doubt”, reads Icardi’s caption as he stands proudly alongside Messi.

The media seemingly love to create this division between rivals Ronaldo and Messi, and it seems as though they’re doing it again with Icardi. If Zidane and Real Madrid believe that he will improve the team and help them win trophies moving forward, will Ronaldo’s reported discontent with the signing overrule them?

Con el mejor de la historia sin dudas ????? #messi @leomessi #MI9

A post shared by Mauro Icardi (@mauroicardi) on

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