Leonardo: 'I tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for Paris Saint-Germain'

Former Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has revealed that he did "everything within the laws of the game" to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to the French capital.

The Brazilian, who left his post at les Parisiens during the summer, claims to have made the Portuguese forward his number one target, although he admits that facilitating a potential transfer from Real Madrid was "impossible".

Speaking to Telefoot, he said: "[Paul] Pogba is at the level to play for PSG, of course. We thought of him and thought he would be a great investment because he is one of the best midfielders in the world.

"We also thought of signing Ronaldo. I did everything within the written laws to try to get him to Paris but it was impossible to make him leave Real Madrid.

"There is no other team that has the squad of the Paris Saint-Germain. No other team has such offensive force. The squad has Salvatore Sirigu, Thiago Silva, Thiago Motta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and then came Edinson Cavani. We wanted this strong central spine. The team is ready for now and for the future."

Ronaldo has a further five years on his existing deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, while Pogba is contracted to Italian giants Juventus until 2016.