Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly close to agreeing a new contract with Real Madrid that will see his salary increase by nearly £9m a year.
The reigning Ballon d'Or holder's future was thrown into doubt at the weekend when he hinted that his time at the Bernabeu may be coming to an end.
Ronaldo spoke in the past tense in an interview with Spanish TV after playing a part in Los Blancos' 3-1 win against Liverpool in the Champions League final, although he made a U-turn 24 hours later during his side's trophy parade in Madrid.
Rather than angling for a move away, Marca suggests that the Portugal international was simply pressuring Madrid chiefs to speed up his contract renewal, which was promised to him by chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez last year.
The report suggests that the Spanish giants delayed finalising terms following Ronaldo's slow start to 2017-18, but they are now happy to make a formal announcement on the deal, worth up to £29m a year.
Paris Saint-Germain are the only side who are realistically expected to be interested in signing the 33-year-old, who struck another 43 goals in all competitions this term.
Daniel Lewis
