Bernabeu Bites, 08-05-13: Will He Or Won't He?

• Jared from Managing Madrid was at UCLA to cover Cristiano Ronaldo's press conference and as he noted in his article the Portuguese superstar stopped short of committing his long-term future to the club. Ronaldo's contract non-renewal has been the other long-running, headache inducing saga of this off-season and in my view it remains the club's most important piece of business. It hovers dully in the background like a tooth ache
• The Guardian has more on the reports emanating from Spain about a contract renewal that Cristiano refused to confirm yesterday, with Marca among the outlets reporting that he agreed to an extension that would see him remain in Madrid until 2018 at €17m annually. CR7 also has some colorful comments about a certain Portuguese manager who now resides in London.
• Forbes aka Decent Source of Football Writing. Who knew? They have an interesting look at Real's financial strength and strategies while pondering whether the proposed mammoth Gareth Bale bid would run afoul of UEFA Financial Fair Play rules as Arsene Wenger so artfully suggested recently.
• The Independent is reporting that Tottenham are still insisting that Spanish U-21 star Alvaro Morata be included in any transaction for Gareth Bale. This has been a fairly persistent rumor and it seems to be gaining currency.
• Former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti will face former los Blancos boss Jose Mourinho in the finals of the Guinness International Champions Cup on Wednesday as Real square off with Chelsea. Despite what he says here-I have a feeling that there will be a distinctly competitive edge to this friendly.
  

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