There have been countless transfer rumours concerning Cristiano Ronaldo over the years.

It's very rare that anyone reads much into them, so initially, A Bola's claim that he wanted to leave Real Madrid was taken with a pinch of salt.

However, now that Marca and the BBC have corroborated the story, it seems there's a genuine possibility that he's on his way out of the Bernabeu.

If it's true, this is huge.

The 32-year-old is supposedly past his prime, but he still found the back of the net a total of 38 times in all competitions last season.

Los Blancos won both La Liga and a second successive Champions League and as you'd expect, Ronaldo was at the heart of that campaign. So, he should be loving life in the Spanish capital.

Ronaldo is furious 

The reality is very different. The Portuguese's unhappiness is thought to stem from an ongoing legal case in which he is accused of tax fraud amounting to £13million.

Madrid released a statement expressing their support, although it doesn't look like that'll be enough to sway the player's decision.

Zinedine Zidane has also been doing his best to change his star man's mind.

Zizou called Ronaldo over the weekend to speak to him about the situation, though he didn't have much luck convincing him to stay.

He's spoken to Zidane 

According to Spanish radio station COPE, in a report brought to our attention by the Mirror, Ronaldo told the manager:

“In Spain, I am treated like a criminal. It starts with the media.”

Strangely, CR7 has always divided opinion at Real. On the one hand, he's a cult figure and enjoys the same adulation as Lionel Messi does at Barcelona. On the other, he's regularly whistled by his own fans despite being their record goalscorer.

All this would seemingly play into the hands of Manchester United, who are now the favourites to sign him ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and clubs from the Chinese Super League.

It's eight years since he broke the world record transfer fee with an £80million move to Madrid, but it looks as if that love affair is well and truly over.

Would leaving Real be the right decision for Ronaldo? Have your say in the comments.