Ex-Man Utd star Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly ‘set to sign’ for Al-Nassr and it’s been revealed that a Bundesliga side opted against bringing him in.
Ronaldo has been without a club since the end of November as his contract at Manchester United was mutually terminated.
The 37-year-old returned to the Red Devils last year. He scored 18 goals in the Premier League last season but they were worse off as a team without him.
The forward looked to leave the club this summer after Man Utd failed to qualify for the Champions League.
He did not get his wish as the club’s hierarchy and Erik ten Hag were keen to keep him at that time.
Ronaldo missed most of pre-season and this left him down the pecking order under Ten Hag as the attacker was a bit-part player at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.
Man Utd have generally played better this season when Ronaldo has not been involved and they look on track to eventually challenge for titles once again.
But Ronaldo was clearly unhappy with his position and he refused to come on as a substitute on multiple occasions.
The final straw for United came when Ronaldo’s controversial interview with Piers Morgan aired. During this exchange, the multiple-time Ballon d’Or winner hit out at Ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick and the Glazer family.
Ronaldo was let go before the World Cup but he struggled to make an impact in Qatar as Portugal exited the competition in the quarter-finals.
His focus is now on securing himself a new club ahead of the January transfer window.
He does not appear to have lots of clubs after him but he has been heavily linked with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
They are willing to offer him £173m a year and they are described as the ‘only option’ for Ronaldo.
Now The New Arab have cited a report from Spanish outlet Marca which states that Ronaldo is ‘set to sign’ his contract with Al-Nassr.
It is expected that this will be done ‘by the end of this year’. Ronaldo’s contract is due to run until 2025.
The report from Marca adds: Talks began at the same time as his departure from Manchester United and the World Cup provided a logical break for talks to take place.’
Ronaldo’s priorities appear to have changed amid the extortionate money on the table from Al-Nassr.
In the summer, he claimed that he was looking to leave Man Utd so he could return to playing in the Champions League.
Eintracht Frankfurt CEO Axel Hellmann has claimed that they were among the clubs who were “offered” Ronaldo in the summer.
“[Ronaldo] was even offered to us,” Hellmann said (via 90min).
“I have the feeling he was offered to every Champions League club.”
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