Ronaldo's 'new WAG' goes to work on her tan... but she's got a long way to go before she matches his mahogany sheen

But Letizia Filippi is going to have to soak in the sun for quite a bit longer if she hopes to compete with the mahogany hues of her alleged new footballer boyfriend Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Italian model and TV presenter, 30, was snapped relaxing by a pool in Italy this week, ahead of her flight to Los Angeles.

But she is still in danger of looking positively anaemic next to the Portuguese footballer, pictured on Thursday soaking up even more sun in LA.

Bronzed beauty: TV presenter and model Letizia Fillippi, rumoured to be the newest lady in Cristiano Ronaldo's life, enjoys the sun in Italy

The pair met earlier this year when both were in relationships and struck up a friendship.

But now both are single, Letizia is planning to fly out to LA to spend time with her mahogany friend.

Her agent said: 'She and Ronaldo are very, very good friends.

They met in Capri when they were both on holiday and they have stayed in touch. It’s all in the very early stages. She's going to LA shortly.'

Letizia lives in Rome and leaped to fame in 1994 when she came third place in the Miss Italian beauty contest.

Following her pageant success, she soon landed presenting jobs on TV and became a feature of the Italian media due to her two-year relationship with Italian ski champion Alberto Tomba.

Practising safe sun: Letizia sprays sunblock on her tanned legs

The Manchester United star, 23, has been turning increasingly darker in recent weeks as he holidays in LA.

Following a yachting holiday in Sardinia last month with now ex-girlfriend Nereida Gallardo, it appears the sports ace just can't get enough of sun worshipping.

The £100,000-a-week star, who is recuperating from ankle surgery to cure a long-term injury, passed the healthy looking bronze stage some time ago, but is still soaking up the rays on a daily basis.

The player, worth an estimated £70million, had apparently been hoping to secure a move to Spanish side Real Madrid.

But Manchester United have so far refused to allow their most valuable player to leave.

The player had angered fans by accusing his club of treating him 'like a slave', despite his enormous salary.

Tanned and tanner: Stunning Letizia clearly has some catching up to do in the bronzing stakes if she wants to match up to her rumoured new boyfriend Ronaldo