Madrid chief sure of Ronaldo stay

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at the club, and, if necessary, money will be found to improve his contract.

Ronaldo, whose admission of “sadness” last September led to speculation he would leave Madrid if not offered an improved deal, said in January he would stay at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu until his current arrangement ends in June 2015.

But Perez, who looks set to be re-elected as Los Blancos chief in June, suggested a new contract could be put on the table to keep the club’s most important player happy.

"There is no problem with Cristiano,” he said. “Of course he will stay with us. If necessary, we will put in money.”

The construction magnate was speaking at Sunday’s 25th anniversary celebration of the Madrid pena (fan club) dedicated to former club president Ramon Mendoza.

When asked by reporters if coach Jose Mourinho would also stay at the club past the end of the current campaign, Perez smiled and refused to answer.

His speech at the event noticeably did not contain any praise for the Portuguese boss and included a call for unity at the club, which has been interpreted as implicit criticism of Mourinho’s abrasive approach.

“We can argue amongst ourselves, we can demand a lot, but we must be united,” he said “We are going to maintain this madridista spirit, so that nobody can remove the most important asset of this club. We accept criticism, because it helps us to be better. But only ourselves want to guide the destiny of this club. We have a spectacular month-and-a-half in front of us in both football and basketball.”