"We want a team who can win the Champions League," Al-Fahim

[TOPGUNJIMMYAUFC]

MANCHESTER City's new billionaire Arab owners say they are willing to pay 135 million pounds ($A288 million) to land Cristiano Ronaldo from the Red side of the city.

"Ronaldo has said he wants to play for the biggest club in the world, so we will see in January if he is serious," Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim, of City's new owners the Abu Dhabi United Group, told the Guardian newspaper.

According to the report, Al-Fahim also wants to track down other major stars, including Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and Valencia's David Villa as City, one of England's perennial under-achievers in recent decades, head for the footballing stratosphere.

Al-Fahim says he wants to build a "dream team" which can compete in the Champions League within the coming three years.

City have already stunned fellow moneybags club Chelsea in landing Robinho from Real Madrid in a British record 32.5 million pound ($A69.28 million) move on deadline day.

And now Ronaldo, linked with Real for much of the summer, is seen as the potential jewel in the crown.

"Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160 million but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more; I would think $240 million ($A288 million).

"But why not? We are going to be the biggest club in the world, bigger than both Real Madrid and Manchester United.

"We want a team who can win the Champions League," Al-Fahim said.

Were such a mega-deal to materialise it would be three times bigger than the current world record which Real paid Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.

"If we can get the biggest players in the world, and of course if the manager wants them, then we will get them," said Al-Fahim, who has agreed to acquire a majority stake in City, subject to due diligence, from former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Al-Fahim has not disclosed the amount he is paying for City when he made the purchase on Monday on behalf of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, of which he is a board member.

On Ronaldo, a United spokesman said curtly: "We have made it clear all summer that Cristiano is not for sale."

Ronaldo is currently on the sidelines as he recovers from July ankle surgery.

Last season he scored 42 goals to help United retain their Premier League title and also win the Champions League, the Portuguese wideman scoring in the final win over Chelsea.

[bradley]

These foreign fuckers are ruining football. The premier league is slowly turning into a circus.

I hope big name players dont goto a sht club like Man City. They are a joke, how many youngsters grow up saying 'I want to play for Man City one day?'. No one does, prob not even their own supporters. Now this dipshit is trying to tell us they are the biggest club in the world because his group have money? LOL get the fuck out of here.

[ruud]

all this money in football is starting to piss me off....

[robinfriday10]

Not me

[Bomber]

all this money in football is starting to piss me off....

Getting out of hand. Seems like a billionaires playground these days, the EPL.
I am against salary caps, but reckon limit to foreigners is only way to go, but would need to be a world wide concept to work, so cant see it happening (and given the "trade restraint" laws already in place).

[ozzie owl]

I know the A-league is a lower standard than the overseas leagues, but at least is a competition, rather than a billionaires toy. The EPL is becoming the billlionaires playground, plashing out huge and obscene amounts of money on collecting the best players in the planet and calling it a club. Soon it will be the Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea world elevens (plus another dozen or more world class players in the stands) thrashing it out on the world stage. That until some one richer comes along and buys all the players of these clubs, sadlly it is spiralling out of control.

[Le King]

this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success

[Juventino]

Maybe they should worry about qualifying before thinking of winning.

[Roman Gladiator 04]

epl.. a joke of a league

[Piola]

Maybe they should worry about qualifying before thinking of winning.

that picture in your sig is brilliant!!!

[blue moon]

[quote="MUFCBOY"]this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success[/quote]

what did you pay for berbatov, rooney, tevez, ferdindand, ronaldo, carrick, hargreaves, vidic, saha, veron, anderson, nani...

[barbarez01]

this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success[/quote]

what did you pay for berbatov, rooney, tevez, ferdindand, ronaldo, carrick, hargreaves, vidic, saha, veron, anderson, nani...

thats right, you tell him!

[ozzie owl]

this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success[/quote]

what did you pay for berbatov, rooney, tevez, ferdindand, ronaldo, carrick, hargreaves, vidic, saha, veron, anderson, nani...

Spot on ,Man Utd used to prodice their own team, the supply line has been as less prolific over the past seasons. Majority of the side are big transfer buys. Maybe they are scared that Man City are richer and will overtake them. What does history have to do with it, plenty of clubs with history in England who have won trpohies over the years Arsenal, Everton , Wolves,Aston Villa,Spurs, Preston and even my team the Owls, just depends how far back you go.

[FerrariTifosi27]

Go buy the whole world new Man City chairman.

[Juventino]

Maybe they should worry about qualifying before thinking of winning.

that picture in your sig is brilliant!!!

It bloody is. Just love the president playing cards with the players!

[The one and only]

i think his comment saying that they will be bigger then manchester united and real madrid is a joke

[terriblygifted]

Can we have a billionaire buy Leeds please....

[pires7]

this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success

coming from a team that buys success!

[Updachels]

this is pissin me off... teams with no history(chelsea, man city) think they can jst buy success

You know that is complete rubbish...