Flamengo president Rodolfo Landim has denied rumours that his club is lining up a move for Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Landim was speaking to the media on his club’s Copa Libertadores conquest, in which he was pressed about the possibility of bringing Ronaldo to Rio de Janeiro.
Landim laughed this off and did not mince his words regarding the 37-year-old.
He said on the Ronaldo links, “I don’t know where it came from but they have a lot of creativity.
“First of all, I ask: for whose place? It’s for the bank. To be Pedro or Gabigol’s substitute [Gabriel Barbosa]? I can’t. Nobody here is going to do crazy things.”
While the Flamengo president mocked Ronaldo, he was also quizzed about the possibility of signing Neymar, to which he was far more respectful.
“Having Neymar would be a dream for any club in Brazil I have no doubts. I think he will play outside Brazil for some time simply because he is exceptional.”
Like Ronaldo, Landim said that the major reason his club would not be chasing after Neymar is the fact that it would cost a mouth-watering sum to lure him to Brazil.
Outlining the numbers for the two stars, Landim said that Ronaldo would demand a huge two-year total sum of $242 m or an equivalent of $10m per month.
He said he had information that a transfer operation for Neymar would require €4m a month – a figure that was well beyond the Brazilian club’s modest budget.
He added that it is far more likely that Neymar would receive a better offer outside Brazil despite his declaration that it would be a dream to sign him.
The Flamengo boss becomes the latest top club chief to publicly reject Ronaldo.
It is unlikely anyway that the five-time Ballon D’or winner would have fancied a switch to Brazil. Hopefully, he finds a taker in January.
