Ronaldo agrees to pay €18.8m sum to end tax case against him

The Real Madrid superstar has reached an agreement with the Spanish Tax Agency which will bring legal proceedings to an end

superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed an €18.8 million (£16m/$22m) settlement with the Spanish Tax Agency which will bring legal proceedings against him to a close, Omnisport understands.

The international stands accused of four fiscal crimes relating to the taxation of image rights.

It was reported in April that the Treasury were exploring the option of withdrawing one of the accused crimes if the 33-year-old pleaded guilty.

He would, however, have had to accept a minor prison sentence and pay a €10m (£9m/$12m) fine in order for that to happen.

Instead, Ronaldo has reportedly sought to bring the saga to a close by paying the relevant authorities.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported details of a settlement on Friday and Omnisport understands, while it is yet to be formally ratified by lawyers, the terms of an agreement have been reached.

Reports from AS in May claimed that a formal proposal of €14m (£12m/$16m) had been knocked back, with no agreement in sight at that stage.

El Mundo are now claiming that the Spanish Tax Agency are prepared to do a deal closer to the €19m mark.

Ronaldo is said to have agreed to an admission of wrongdoing in the settlement, which lands him a two-year prison charge, but he will avoid serving a sentence - much like Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano before him - and will be free of further sanction.

The Portugal international, who is readying himself for a World Cup 2018 opener against on Friday, appeared in court last year to respond to the allegations, insisting "I always pay what I have to pay; I do things the right way and I will continue to do so."

His representatives, Gestifute, meanwhile, have persistently denied that any crimes have been committed.

The former star has remained quiet when it comes to discussing the matter in public, although he did appear to attack the "fake news" surrounding his case in an Instagram post back in March.

El Mundo now claims that Ronaldo has releaxed his stance during discussions with the Tax Agency, bringing a distracting episode to a close as his full attention is switched back to matters on the field.

The Madrid forward's future at the Bernabeu still remains unclear, though, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner continuously being linked with an exit following his statements after the Champions League final.

Goal understands that the Spanish club are, however, remaining calm over the reports that their star man could leave and are hopeful of retaining his services.