Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has refused a request from Manchester United to rule out ever making a move for Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, Calderon has conceded he is unlikely to sign the 23-year-old this summer.

In an interview with Spanish sports paper Marca, Calderon dismissed a formal request from Manchester United managing director David Gill for Madrid to publicly abandon their pursuit of the player.

But Calderon said signing Ronaldo was "impossible" and sought to play down the row between the two sides which has erupted in the wake of the Spanish team's public pursuit of the Portugal forward.

"At the moment it seems impossible for him to come," he said. "We shouldn't talk about Ronaldo any more because at the moment it's impossible.

"It's an aspiration which has no chance of happening because his club have said they are not selling and we must not talk about it any more."

Calderon added: "The managing director sent me a letter telling me they will never sell him and even asking me to publicly declare that I will never sign him, which is something which doesn't make much sense."

"We have to think that at the moment, whatever Cristiano says, Manchester won't sell him," he added.

Nevertheless, Calderon admitted that he would still love to sign the Portugal forward.

He continued: "We would love to have Cristiano or any of the (world's) great players here."

The 57 year-old also reiterated that his club have the financial muscle to prise the young winger away from Old Trafford.

He said: "The decision will be made by the coaches, but nothing is expensive or cheap on its own, before analysing what the counter-balance is from what you receive for the price you pay.

"Here (at Real Madrid), €75 million was paid six years ago for a 29-year-old player (Zinedine Zidane) and nobody questioned it.

"What I have always said is that this club want the money to be on the pitch and not in the bank, and it is (made) public that Madrid has it.

"They know what we earn, that doesn't mean the club are going to throw it away. We are not going to throw our money around.

"Last year we made signings which looked expensive, but now they look reasonable."

Calderon says he does not know how much Ronaldo would cost Real.

"I don't know. I am not aware of his contract. That is something between Cristiano and Manchester and I can't answer it," he said.