Ronaldo wants to stay at Man Utd - but play in Spain one day

But the 22-year-old, whose current deal expires in 2010, repeated his desire to play in Spain one day.

"We have talked and I hope to reach agreement as soon as possible," he told Portuguese radio station Antena 1.

"Nothing has been decided yet and I would like to stay. I would like to play in Spain one day, but I am happy here at Manchester."

United are keen to tie down a player manager Sir Alex Ferguson has described as the best in the world.

"Cristiano is at the right club," said Ferguson. "He wants to stay. Why should he want to go anywhere else?

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"We have been negotiating for a few weeks now and hopefully we can come to an agreement where he will stay with us for the next few years."

Ronaldo has been subject of speculation linking him with an end-of-season move to either Real Madrid or Barcelona.

He added: "You can never be certain of anything in life but I am happy here and I want to stay here. In football there are no guarantees.

"If I don't leave now, if I leave in two, three, four, five years I would be happy, I am at a great club."

Ronaldo joined United from Sporting Lisbon for £12m in August 2003, on a five-year contract which he extended by a further two years in November 2005.

Meanwhile, departing striker Henrik Larsson has ruled out returning to international football with Sweden.

Larsson's winner in his last game for United sent the Reds into the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday.

And it was rumoured he was weighing up a return for his country against Northern Ireland on 28 March in Belfast.

But he said: "That will not happen, my time with the national team is finished.