Cristiano’s Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United could be a step closer following the collapse of a potential deal with Monaco on Saturday night.

The Daily Mail reports that Ronaldo was set to join the Ligue 1 side at 30 on a tax-free deal, as a form of ‘pension plan’ for the Portuguese striker. However the Monaco dream is collapsing, with the lavish spending of 2013, when €150 million was spent on big name buys, now a distant memory. A host of stars have left the club, who now sit second from bottom in Ligue 1, with just 4 points from 5 games. This has now left Manchester United as front runners to sign their former one time talisman next summer.

Monaco owner Dmitry Rybolovlev was ordered by a Swiss court to pay his ex-wife £2.6 billion in May of this year in the biggest divorce settlement in history. This, coupled with Monaco’s inability to generate revenue admissible under UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, has left the club unable to finance the big spending of recent times.

As a result, the deal between Roanldo and Monaco has fallen through, leaving the door open for a return to Old Trafford.

The sole stumbling block remains Real’s willingness to sell, with the player having signed a five year deal last summer – when the option of a return to Manchester was on the table. While the Spanish champions are believed to be likely to sell, they will charge a premium, and hoping at least recoup the £80 million they spent to bring Ronaldo to the Bernabeu in 2008. A figure of £60 million could be more realistic, but United will have to take a firm negotiating stance to achieve that. On top of this Ronaldo’s wages are currently £300,000, which United would be unwilling to match.