Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo's future remains the source of speculation. Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo has thrown his future into further doubt by revealing that stories he is set to renew his contract at Real Madrid are without foundation. The Portuguese forward is entering the final two years of his deal at the Bernabeu, the time when clubs typically wish to tie down their best players or sell them to avoid their value decreasing. But it appears that Ronaldo is not ready to commit his future to the club he joined in 2009.

“All the news about my renewal with Real Madrid are false,” Ronaldo Tweeted on Thursday. The 28-year-old’s future has been the source of much speculation since he revealed that he was “sad” due to professional reasons last September. Since then he has been strongly linked with a return to Manchester United, with which he spent six seasons before leaving for a record £80 million fee. There have also been reports of big-money offers from nouveau-riche Ligue 1 sides Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco.

Indeed, just this week the Independent has claimed that Monaco are preparing a €100 million (£85m) bid as well as an incredible annual salary of €20 million. Monaco, which has already completed the major signings of Radamel Falcao, Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez this summer, will be aided in their attempts to sign Ronaldo by the fact that the principality of Monaco does not recover income tax from its residents. Part of Madrid’s problems in trying to renegotiate Ronaldo’s contract come with the fact that the so-called “Beckham Law,” which limited the amount of tax paid by wealthy foreign workers, has expired and the player’s tax requirement will go up with his next deal.

Yet, Madrid president Florentino Perez has, in the past few days, spoken of his expectation that Ronaldo would not only sign a new deal but finish his career at Madrid. “Cristiano's dream is to retire at Madrid, and the club wants the same thing,” he said, according to Spanish publication Marca. “He's never told me he wants to leave.”

Intriguingly, Ronaldo also reportedly revealed last week that he expected to sign a new deal, although insisted there had not yet been any negotiations. "I haven't spoken to anyone yet,” he said, reported Marca. “I know we'll reach an agreement on a new contract.”