Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that a summer move to Real Madrid is a genuine possibility.

The Portugal international had previously been quoted as saying he would open negotiations with the Spanish giants if Juan Miguel Villar Mir wins the club's presidential election on Sunday.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson had dismissed the reports as electioneering by Villar Mir's supporters, but quizzed about the stories on Saturday, the 21-year-old replied: "Yes, they are true."

Ronaldo added that he was fully focused on Portugal's bid to win the World Cup and that he did not want to discuss his future until the tournament is over.

However, he may find it difficult to return to United following his involvement in his club colleague Wayne Rooney's sending off during Portugal's quarter-final victory against England.

Rooney was penalised for a foul on Ricardo Carvalho and the referee appeared to be prepared to let the incident go without further punishment until Ronaldo ran 40 yards to remonstrate with the official.

Ronaldo was captured by television cameras winking at the bench as the England striker walked off, fuelling accusations that he had deliberately set out to get Rooney dismissed.

However, the ex-Sporting Lisbon star insisted: "I complained to the referee about the foul but I didn't ask for a red card."