CRISTIANO Ronaldo’s legal team have reportedly said they’re willing to try to strike a deal with his rape accuser.
Lawyers for the Juventus ace have told the courts they are willing to enter meditation to avoid a trial, it was claimed last night.
They want a judge to dismiss the case brought by a former model who claims Ronaldo, 34, raped her in a Las Vegas hotel a decade ago, the Mirror reports.
The footballer’s attorneys are also prepared to accept a ruling that would “compel arbitration” – meaning it would be dealt with outside court.
An expert mediator would then oversee the private talks.
Kathryn Mayorga’s 31-page lawsuit alleges that the £538,000-a-week Portuguese star raped her in his suite at Palms Hotel and Casino in June 2009.
Now, Ronaldo’s lawyers have reportedly asked Nevada District Court for leave to file a 46-page report defending him.
They need time to go beyond the normal 24-page limit due to the complexity of the case, his lawyer Kendelee Works said.
And they also need more time to respond to the 11 complaints brought by Ms Mayorga, it was reported.
They include battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, coercion and fraud, abuse of a vulnerable person, racketeering and civil conspiracy.
Ex-teacher Ms Mayorga had earlier met Ronaldo – then a 24-year-old Manchester United ace – at nightclub.
Footage showed them dancing in the VIP area where then 25-year-old Ms Mayorga worked.
She claims the the star – said to be worth £355m – then raped her in his luxury suite before paying her £295,000 in “hush money” – which she accepted because she “felt intimidated.”
But police reopened their investigation last year after she came forward with the identity of her alleged attacker.
Ronaldo emphatically denies the explosive claims.
At the time they emerged, the footballer Tweeted: “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me.
“Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in.
“Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.”
He followed that tweet with a further message saying he had a completely “clear conscience.”
A representative for Ronaldo declined to comment last night.
The dad-of-four football star is in a relationship with model Georgina Rodriguez.
He has previously dated world-famous celebs like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton – as well as Strictly Come Dancing star Gemma Atkinson.
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