Perez’s Galacticos take two: Kaka, Ronaldo!

Real Madrid have scooped their second superstar of the summer as Manchester United accept an unconditional £80m (€92m) offer for Cristiano Ronaldo.

After a year of speculation over the future of the Portuguese star, a statement on the Manchester United website on Wednesday morning revealed that the Premier League Champions are now ready to let Ronaldo leave.

The news will come as a massive coup for the new Real Madrid president Florentino Perez who has been in the hot seat for just ten days but has already secured the services of former world player of the year Kaka for £56m.

Now it appears that man behind the famous galaticos era, which brought the likes of Zinedine Zidane, the Brazilian Ronaldo and David Beckham to the Spanish capital, has done it again by grabbing the current world player of the year.

And it will be doubly pleasing for Perez who has sealed the deal so quickly despite his predecessor Ramon Calderon pushing relations between the two clubs to breaking point as a result of his constant courting of the 24-year old.

Clearly Manchester United had no choice but to accept the colossal offer, which will smash the world transfer record in both pounds sterling and euros and allow the Northwest outfit to stuff yet more talent into their squad.

United fans will be split on the departure of the superstar – who joined from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 – but with the sums of money involved not one will criticise the club’s decision and of late many have become tired of the striker’s attitude and apparent apathy.

The door is now open for the Champions League runners up to target other big hitters such as Franck Ribery and Antonio Valencia and the departure of his former team mate may even encourage hitman Carlos Tevez to stay.

Reports suggest that the Ronaldo deal will be moved through very quickly, but with United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the man himself both away on holiday, expect the deal to be finalised by the end of the month.

The question is now, having spent £136m in two days on two of the games greatest players, who is next and for how much? One thing is for sure: the galaticos era part two has definitely begun.