It wouldn’t be at all surprising that Real Madrid supporters would take the signing of Harry Kane over the return of Cristiano Ronaldo in a heartbeat, but neither the 27-year-old England captain nor the 36-year-old are being seen as viable options this summer.
Kane had been billed as the ‘cheap’ option by Spanish radio on Tuesday. However, despite not being backed by the likes of a Mino Raiola-like super agent to inflate his value when signing on the dotted line, the dazzling Spurs striker does indeed have Daniel Levy for a chairman and a solid contract until 2024.
Real Madrid supremo Florentino Perez has long been an ardent admirer but serious interest waned when Kane signed a six-year deal worth a basic salary of £200,000 a week in 2018 – a move that smacked of a Messi-like one-club career maneuver.
In the recent scenario, Madrid’s interest is likely sparked by a change of heart from Kane but the latter’s contractual situation would still leave any transfer as near impossible, with this option also not a match for plan A which banks heavily on the hope that Kylian Mbappe runs down his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.
Ronaldo’s touted return meanwhile hit the headlines on Tuesday when Gareth Bale announced his intention of returning to Madrid in the summer.
And this is where it gets kinky as Diario AS dedicated pages 1, 2 and 3 to the possible reuniting of the ‘BBC’ forward line of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano that amassed four Champions League trophies for the club.
‘Seeing the BBC again gets me excited,’ said AS’ resident Madrid columnist Tomas Roncero.
Unfortunately for Ronaldo and Bale, that sentiment is not shared by the Bernabeu who raucously jeered both in their time at Los Blancos. Unloved and unappreciated in their prime at the club, although supporters did eventually warm up to Cristiano in his final years there. The affection for them now would be minimal – and probably even less in the case of Bale. Regrouping the trio would make little sense.