Cristiano Ronaldo could become football’s first £100million player with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain interested — how record transfer fees have evolved

CRISTIANO RONALDO become football's first £100million player if Manchester United get their wish.

The Portuguese superstar has enjoyed a breathtaking end to the season — with a whopping ten goals in Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and final victories.

Los Blancos are bracing themselves for a £157m bid with United, Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco and various Chinese clubs keen.

Keep up to date with all the latest news, gossip, rumours and done deals in SunSport's live transfer blog

Despite his incredible form, Ronaldo is 32 and Real Madrid could be ready to double their money on a player they broke the world-record transfer to sign for £80m back in 2009.

Paul Pogba is currently the most-expensive footballer in history, with United paying Juventus £89m to re-sign the midfielder last summer.

However, any the four-time Ballon d'Or move would eclipse that — and become only the second player after Diego Maradona and Ronaldo to be the globe's costliest player twice.

We take a look back at the evolution of transfer fees from the first £100 player to the brink of £100m.

It was Aston Villa who paid the three-figure sum to sign West Brom’s Willie Groves back in 1893.

In an era where England was the financial hub of football, Middlesbrough became the first side to pay £1,000 when they bought Alf Common from Sunderland.

An Arsenal broke the £10,000 barrier — paying  Bolton £10,890 for David Jack.

Four years later, however, a side from another country smashed through the world record transfer barrier.

In fact, it was another continent.

River Plate paid Tiger an earth-shattering £23,000 for Bernabe Ferreyra.

Derby restored English pride in 1949 when they signed Johnny Morris from United for £24,000 — before Sheffield Wednesday bought Eddie Quigley from Preston for £26,500 later that year.

However, 1952 saw the emergence of a new football super power — Italy.

Napoli broke the £50k barrier when they paid Atalanta £52,000 for Hans Jeppson.

And just two years later, AC Milan upped the record to £72,000 when they bought Juan Schiaffino from Penarol.

But three years later Juventus went up to £93,000 when they plucked Omar Sivori from River Plate to create a deadly partnership in attack with John Charles.

It was an Italian side who broke the £100,000 barrier. Inter Milan paid Barcelona a staggering £152,000 for reigning Ballon d’Or winner, Luis Suarez in 1961.

And Pietro Anastasi became the first £500,000 player when Juventus bought him from Varese in 1968.

Napoli broke the record for a second time in 1975 when they made Giuseppe Savoldi the first £1m-player when they paid Bologna £1.2m for his services.

From 1952 to 1992, the world record transfer fee was broken on 17 occasions — with an astonishing 15 of those coming from Italy.

Barcelona broke the record on the other occasions, and they were certainly worth it.

In 1973, they paid Ajax £922,000 for Johan Cruyff, before paying Boca Juniors £3m for Maradona nine years later.

The Argentina superstar was the world’s most expensive player for two consecutive transfers when he moved to Napoli for £5m in 1984.

Jean-Pierre Papin became the first £10m player when Milan signed him from Marseille in 1992.

And Newcastle made Alan Shearer the first £15m star — the first time a Premier League side had broken the world transfer record.

Barcelona paid PSV Eindhoven £13.2m to sign Ronaldo in 1996 — and sold him to Inter just a year later for £19.5m.

The Nerazzurri then attempted to create the greatest strikeforce in world football when they made Lazio’s Christian Vieri the first £30m — leaving fans worldwide open-mouthed as they shelled out £32.1m in 1999.

While the Biancocelesti paid Parma £35m for Hernan Crespo in 2000 — 11 years before the Premier League matched that fee.

Milan, Napoli and Barcelona have all broken the world-record fee on three occasions, while Juventus and Inter have done it four times each.

Real Madrid, however, hold the record for record fees.

The Bernabeu giants have done it five times — and were the only side to have broken is since 2000 before Pogba joined United.

Zinedine Zidane was the record transfer at £46.6m for eight years — the longest since the £1m barrier was broken — when he was signed from Juventus in 2001.

His record went when Real spent £56m signing on Kaka in 2009 before smashing that by splashing out £80m on Cristiano Ronaldo in the same summer.

Roberto Baggio was a Fiorentina fan through-and-through and loathe to leave La Viola — but the hierarchy couldn’t turn down a world-record £8m from Juventus in 1990.

The move created a rift between the two sets of fans which still stands today.

However, it’s far from the most controversial world-record transfer of all-time.

Gianluigi Lentini was billed as one of the shining lights of Italian football — and Fabio Capello convinced Milan to splash out a whopping £13m on him in 1992.

Pope John Paul II labelled the move “’an offence against the dignity of work”.

A near-fatal car crash seriously hampered Lentini, and the transfer never worked out.

But it’s Luis Figo whose record move caused the biggest uproar.

Florentino Perez promised to bring the Portuguese star from Barcelona if he was elected president of Real Madrid — he was and he did.

Los Blancos paid their fierce rivals £37m to purchase their star player.

Figo received vehement abuse at every return to the Nou Camp, and once had a pig’s head thrown at him.