Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster confirmed Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo is his club's number one summer transfer target, but the Spanish champions are also looking to sign Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb.
The bold admission by Schuster that Ronaldo is now a "priority" will not endear him to United manager Alex Ferguson who has already expressed his distaste for the lack of morals at the Madrid club.
Ferguson pointed out that Real's fierce rivals, Barcelona, refrain from public expressions of admiration for other clubs' players. That respect culminated in United's Spanish-born defender Gerard Pique returning to the Camp Nou on a four-year contract today.
But with any softly-softly approach for Ronaldo almost certain to meet with failure, Real have decided to come out all guns blazing and Schuster today spoke of the 23-year-old as if he had already signed for Madrid.
"There are other players we have been looking at but everything has slowed down a little due to all this Cristiano Ronaldo business, seeing as he is the big priority for the club," said Schuster.
"The English way has been a perfect education for a player with such exceptional individual talent.
"There he has learned to enjoy his football as a complete professional. This means we would get a Cristiano who would arrive here with his lessons learned."
The United boss is adamant Ronaldo neither wants to, nor will be, leaving Old Trafford this summer, claiming last week the acid test of the relationship between player and club will not be faced for another two years.
By that time, Ferguson expects his team to have added at least one more European Cup to a tally they took to three with their penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea in Moscow last week.
In addition, they could have overtaken Liverpool's record of 18 English championships; United moving to within one with their latest success, the 10th of Ferguson's 23-year stint as manager.
Like United, Real have won back-to-back titles, but European success has remained frustratingly out of reach since 2002 for the nine-time winners, a record Schuster is determined to put right with Ronaldo leading the charge and Hleb in tow.
"Cristiano would help us in a lot of ways, without a doubt, but we can't stop with just him," he explained. "He'll be expensive and we'll have to pay a lot of money, but we need more players because he won't be enough.
"For a few months now we have had a plan and we know what we want, but now Alexander Hleb has been added to that plan.
"We didn't know he would be able to leave Arsenal, but now it seems he will."
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be about as happy with Schuster as Ferguson but the German, who has impressed at Real since replacing England boss Fabio Capello at the end of last season, is not inclined to worry what others think.
