Man Utd thrilled to beat Real Madrid, Chelsea for Ronaldo

Manchester United officials are delighted to have beaten Real Madrid and Chelsea for Sporting Lisbon wonder-kid Cristiano Ronaldo.

After a frustrating summer of missed targets, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased to have landed Ronaldo in a deal worth £8 million.

Chelsea were willing to offer cash plus striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, while Real Madrid had opened talks with the player's representatives.

But both big-spenders couldn't get around Sporting's alliance agreement with United, which gives the Premiership champs first option on all their players.

Luis Correira, one of Cristiano's advisers, described the transfer negotiations as "very, very advanced" with United and added: "The deal is nearly finished and once the agreement is in place it should happen very quickly."