If Ronaldo refused to turn up on schedule after his three-week holiday following Euro 2008, then United are likely to levy a fine of £1million on a player they pay £125,000 a week. Yet Real are ready to cushion the blow.

Such is their obsession with luring Ronaldo to the Bernabeu they would not think twice about offering to reimburse him for any fines handed out so long as they eventually get their man. 

Having offered him £300,000 a week, a staggering £15m a year, paying £1m in fines would be considered loose change by the club. But such an attempt to circumvent the rules will inflame 

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson even further. 

The Daily Express has led the way in breaking the story of Real’s initially hush-hush but determined approach for Ronaldo dating back to January. 

FIFA’s feeble response to United’s complaint about Real’s tapping-up of the player has done little to dissuade them from continuing their indirect dealings for Ronaldo, who has four years left to run on his United contract. 

It has become an accepted part of the dynamics of football transfers that players are sounded out, and negotiations are commonplace between agents and clubs. 

FIFA know they would need to see definitive hard evidence before charging a club like Real and so far the file lodged by United is merely a succession of public statements made by the Real hierarchy about their desire to sign midfielder Ronaldo. 

That does not amount to documentary or photographic evidence that a deal has been done, even though we have known for months that talks have been ongoing. 

Real know such sums can be cost-effective in the long run as they have already estimated Ronaldo will sell £30m worth of shirts per season. And the player would keep half of that.