Inter take swipe at Ronaldo but say he is staying

Ronaldo will almost definitely stay with his Italian club Inter Milan and should be happy with his lot, the president of the Serie A team said.

"Ronaldo is more than 80 percent certain to stay with Inter. In fact, I would say 100 percent certain," Inter President Massimo Moratti was quoted as saying by Italian newsagency Ansa.

Moratti confirmed that Spanish team Real Madrid had expressed an interest in Ronaldo, but said: "The approach wasn't economically satisfactory. Ronaldo would do well to appreciate what he has going for him here."

Ronaldo's contract with Inter does not end until 2006 but he has made it clear that he wants to return to Spain -- where he played for Barcelona in the 1996-7 season -- because he prefers the lifestyle there.

The striker is in Brazil for Wednesday's friendly at home to Paraguay, his first game since he scored two goals against Germany in the World Cup final.

Moratti said agents were too eager to jump on the Ronaldo bandwagon in the hope of picking up handsome fees but the player himself was to blame for the current situation.

The Inter president added that he was starting to look at his other striker, Christian Vieri, in a new light.

"I now appreciate Vieri, with whom I haven't always had a good relationship, for his attachment to the club and for the example that he has shown to his colleagues."