Manchester United has announced via its official website that it has accepted a record-breaking 96 million euro offer from Real Madrid for its Portuguese superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The club released the news saying: 'At Cristiano Ronaldo's repeated request to leave the club and after discussions with the player's agent, Manchester United has agreed to allow Real Madrid to approach the player.'

The negotiations are expected to be concluded by the end of this month and the English club has no intention to make any further announcements until an agreement has been reached.

Real Madrid, for its part, has confirmed that it has indeed made an offer for Cristiano Ronaldo and that it expected to have the deal finalised in the next few days.  The club has been interested in the player for some time now and if the deal comes off this time, it will be the second major signing for the new manager, Florentino Pérez, who signed Kaká from Milan last month.