One of the biggest questions of the 2015 summer transfer window was: Is Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid? In the earliest weeks of the window, the big rumor was that Ronaldo was upset that manager Carlo Ancelotti had been sacked and replaced by Rafael Benitez. There were also rumors of a row of sorts between Ronaldo and fellow Real Madrid attacker Gareth Bale, who made it clear that he wanted to be the Vikings center forward. The speculation at the time was that Ronaldo might transfer to Manchester United during the summer, but no such move ever transpired.

Of Contracts and Transfer Fees

Fast-forward to now, and rumors about Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Spain are on the table once
again. It's not even October, and Real Madrid still have a long way to go before the end of the campaign. Chatter about losing their best player could keep Vikings fans from really enjoying the 2015 2016 soccer season.

Still, there is a chance that the rumors are just rumors, as they were last time. After all, speculation about Cristiano's departure churned for an entire summer, before he finally signed a new contract with Real Madrid on September 15th. The terms of the contract keep Ronaldo at Real Madrid until 2018, so he won't be leaving on a free transfer. In other words, even if Cristiano heads for the hills next summer, Vikings fans can take solace in the fact that their football club will score a very lofty transfer fee for his sale.

Back to Manchester United? 

So which club could Ronaldo be moving to come summer 2016? The same one that he was supposedly negotiating with this past summer: Manchester United.

Ronaldo, of course, has history at Manchester United. He played for the Red Devils from 2003 to 2009, tallying 292 appearances and 118 goals in six seasons. He helped Man United win three Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League, among numerous other English and European trophies. He was also the Premier League's top scorer in the 2007 2008 season, when he tallied 31 goals-seven more than any other soccer player in the division.

Right now, the rumor is that Manchester United would pay a world-record fee of £90 million to sign Cristiano from Real. They would also meet his £15 million-per-year wage requirements. It's not tough to see why, either: Manchester United haven't won a Premier League title since 2013 and have been looking for a star offensive player to help them leap back into the lead. What better way to reclaim the trophy than with the help of the world's foremost offensive star?

However, The Daily Mail, the publication that reported on United's interest, noted that United's actual transfer fee would likely be closer to £70 million. That wouldn't be a world record, obviously: Real paid more (£80 million) to sign Ronaldo from Manchester United back in 2009, a world record fee at the time. The Vikings broke that record four years later, signing Gareth Bale for £85.3 million.

Paris Saint Germain Potential

But would Cristiano Ronaldo be willing to make what will likely be the last transfer of his career on a less-than-record-breaking fee? And would Real Madrid be willing to let go of their biggest audience draw for less than they paid to buy him in the first place? After all, Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had previously said that the Vikings wouldn't let Cristiano go unless someone met the £727.8 million buyout clause in the famous football player's contract.

Paris Saint Germain, the other potential suitors for a Ronaldo transfer, wouldn't be able to meet that lofty figure. However, reports have indicated that PSG are willing to pay more than Man United: £109.2 million for a transfer fee and some £140 million in contract period wages for Ronaldo
himself. Needless to say, such a transfer would break the world record.

For now, though, fans in the Real Madrid home jersey 2015 2016 shouldn't be too worried. Ronaldo will stay with the Vikings at least through this season, and if Florentino Perez is to be believed, probably until his contract runs out in 2018. That is, unless some club decides to throw caution to the winds and spend three-quarters of a billion pounds on a single transfer.

Do you think Cristiano could be transferring at the end of the 2015 2016 season, or do you think the rumors about Manchester United and PSG are just unsubstantiated chatter? Share your thoughts with other football fans on social media, by linking up with Soccer Box! You can find us on the web at Facebook, Tumblr, and LinkedIn as well as other popular social networks.