Sir Alex Ferguson's ambitious £200m Man United transfer plan before retirement revealed
Manchester United legend Patrice Evra has claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson had lined up moves for Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in the same transfer window, but retired after the club refused to sanction the deals.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Chelsea star John Obi Mikel, Evra revealed that Ferguson had told him that Ronaldo and Bale had agreed to join the club in 2013 for a combined £200million.
However, the club "refused to give him those £200m" and Ferguson ultimately retired at the end of the season.
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Evra recalled his shock at Ferguson's decision to retire, saying: "One of the most saddest days, I didn't cry, I was in shock. The reason why is because two weeks before, he brought me into his office [and said], 'Patrice look at those people, they think I'm going to retire, I'm going to be [here for] another ten years, but we need to win more Champions Leagues'."
"He said, 'Patrice, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed 99 per cent to come back and Gareth Bale [too]'. He needed £200m and the club refused to give him those £200m and now, they spent a billion on whatever."
"It was 2013, just before he retired, so that's why I remember when I got out of his office, I was like, 'Cristiano is back, Gareth Bale, we're back in business' after winning the title and everything.
"That's what he said, 'I need to win more Champions Leagues'."
Ronaldo stayed with Real Madrid until 2018 before moving to Juventus and later made his much-anticipated return to Manchester United in 2021.
However, the relationship soured and ended on a sour