Cristiano Ronaldo moves one step closer to Real Madrid exit after they reject his latest demand

Could he actually be leaving?

Ronaldo is currently in negotiations with Real Madrid over an improved contract, but they are struggling to come to an agreement. According to reports in Spanish newspapers Mundo Deportivo and Sport, Ronaldo is demanding a base salary of £35m per year, but Madrid are reluctant to grant him his wish. Ronaldo's current contract runs out in 2021, and the forward turns 33 this February, so it is understandable that Madrid are wary of awarding the player an improved deal. He has only scored four league goals this season, but the five time Ballon d'Or winner wants to be paid as much as Lionel Messi, who signed a new deal with Barcelona earlier this year. Messi reportedly earns over £100m a season. The usual links to a return to Manchester United for Ronaldo have circulated, but he might have cried wolf one too many times. The Portuguese forward has often used the threat of returning to United as leverage when negotiating an improved contract at the Bernabeu, but it is less likely to work this time. Madrid may even be open to selling him in the summer, given his dip in form this season. But would United want him back? For nostalgic and commercial reasons, sure, but given how much they are about to invest in Alexis Sanchez, and the fact they've got much younger options out wide in Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, Ronaldo would not be a priority. He may have to accept that he won't get that improved deal as he enters the twilight of his career.