Zidane Blow for United
�Soccernet
By John Edwards
Ronaldo has stepped into the debate over Zinedine Zidane's future and dealt a crushing setback to Manchester United's hopes of pulling off the biggest transfer in their history.
United boss Alex Ferguson was already locked in a battle with Juventus counterpart Marcello Lippi after lining up a summer move for the inspirational France midfielder. Lippi will take command at Inter Milan at the end of the season and has made it clear he wants to take Zidane with him.
Now the odds against United appear to be insurmountable after a plea by Ronaldo for the 26-year-old to join him at the San Siro and help turn Inter into European champions. Money, inevitably, was at the root of it, as Ronaldo openly admitted. The Brazil striker became a part-owner of Inter after a remarkable round of negotiations which underlined his bargaining power over a new deal.
Inter agreed to his demand for a wage increase and made certain he went away happy by awarding him shares which amounted to a five per cent stake in the club. The possibilities then became glaringly obvious to him when he teamed up with Zidane for a Rest of the World clash against Italy - and established an instant rapport. 'Now that I'm a shareholder I want to maximise my profits,' he said. 'That is one of the rewards for making the club successful. 'There is no doubt in my mind that Zinedine is the person to help me do that. He is the man I want alongside me at Inter because I know he will supply me with even more chances to score goals.'
Lippi ends his four-year reign at Juventus this summer and has echoed Ronaldo's sentiment that Zidane's best interests would be served by a move to Inter. Zidane's money-making prospects, as well as Ronaldo's, are also counting against United.
He currently earns around �30,000 a week and, according to sources in France, has recently complained about lagging behind other major names in Italy's Serie A. It is understood he will seek to double his wages at the end of the season, whether he stays in Turin or moves to Milan or Manchester. As if personal terms were not daunting enough for any potential buyer,
Juventus are widely expected to demand around �20million before releasing Zidane from a contract which runs until 2003.
United have not given up hope but would have to smash the British transfer record and make Zidane far and away the highest paid player on their books. The incentive for such an outlay is that the Juventus playmaker's guile and expertise could be the difference between being crowned European champions and another near miss. Ferguson knows that and is so desperate to add the Champions League to his haul of trophies at Old Trafford that he is still exploring ways of competing with Juventus and Inter. Zidane himself insists his future is still in the balance, saying: 'I could go to Inter or stay where I am - or even move abroad. 'The alternatives are all appealing and it's going to need some careful thought before I make up my mind.'
