Manchester United's hopes of bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club from Real Madrid rest on them putting together a package worth 140 million pounds ($228 million), according to widespread reports in the British media.
Ronaldo, 29, had been targeted by United in 2013 before the forward eventually signed a new contract at the Bernabeu last September, but speculation over a possible return to Old Trafford has been reignited following reports that Europe's top clubs have been informed about the likely cost of a potential deal.
The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian are among the British newspapers reporting that the reigning holder of the FIFA Ballon d'Or would cost a fee of around 60 million pounds, but his wages would amount to around 80 million pounds over the duration of what would be expected to be a five-year contract.
The Daily Mirror puts the total figure at 200 million pounds, factoring in projected image rights payments and performance-based bonuses.
United broke the British transfer record in the most recent transfer window when they signed Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for 60 million pounds, the stand-out deal in the club's 150 million-pound summer outlay that also included bringing in striker Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco. Both players share the same agent as Ronaldo, Jorge Mendes.
Despite missing out on Champions League football this season, record sponsorship deals with Adidas and Chevrolet and a host of other lucrative marketing deals across the globe mean that United would be able to afford funding such a deal.
On Thursday, Spanish economist Jose Maria Gay de Liebana told AS that Real Madrid's 602 million-euro debts is at the root of why the reigning European champions have started selling star players for big money in recent years.
Gay de Liebana, a professor at the Universidad de Barcelona, said that the sales of Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Gonzalo Higuain over the last two summers were due to a need to regularly bring in money to cover the club's short-term liabilities.
"It means they needed to bring money in," Gay de Liebana said. "I believe they sold Di Maria and others well. Madrid was never a selling club, but a buying club."
United manager Louis van Gaal said last week that he would be interested in a deal -- though he expressed doubt that the European champions would sell the Portugal international -- while one United fan group is planning to fly a banner over the Bernabeu during Ronaldo's next match requesting him to "come home."
Ronaldo moved to the Bernabeu in 2009 for what was then a world-record fee of 80 million pounds after winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and a plethora of individual awards during his six-year spell at Old Trafford.
ESPN FC correspondents Richard Jolly and Dermot Corrigan contributed to this report.