CRISTIANO Ronaldo has told Real Madrid he wants them to pay his fine to the Spanish tax office, according to The Sun.
The former Manchester United man was hit with a charge for allegedly defrauding the government of £13m last year.
And El Confidencial reports that, as things stand, he has struck a deal to pay the tax authorities a total sum of £26.45m (€30m) to avoid spending time in jail.
It adds that, amid contract negotiations, Ronaldo, 33, has requested Real Madrid pay the fee — but the club have refused.
It is understood that the amount he will ultimately have to hand over will be relative to his earnings.
Ronaldo’s current net salary of £340,000-a-week is dwarfed the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, who he is seeking parity with.
Both the Portuguese striker and Spanish tax authorities want the matter sorted soon — ideally before the start of the World Cup.
Last summer, and during the early part of this season, rumours emanating from Ronaldo’s camp suggested he wanted to leave as he was unhappy.
And one of the reasons cited was that he felt a lack of protection from the club over his problems with the tax authorities.
However, he found a new lease of life since 2018 and has been instrumental in Los Blancos’ march to a third-consecutive Champions League final — and is in talks over a new contract.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has made it clear to Real the five players he does not want in the team next season, according to reports in Spain.
Los Blancos are expected to undergo a major squad revamp in the summer, according to Daily Star.
And club president Florentino Perez is concerned by the ageing problem in his side.
Their poor showing in La Liga has led many to believe that Zinedine Zidane could be axed at the end of the season too.
