Despite reports suggesting that a deal worth over €500million had been agreed, Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he has NOT signed for Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr.
It was reported in Spain that a deal was “close” about a week ago, with Marca claiming the Portuguese legend would earn half a billion euros over two-and-a-half years.
However, Ronaldo’s team has rubbished those claims by confirming that a deal has yet to be finalised and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner remains without a club.
Manchester United agreed to terminate his contract early after a fall-out with manager Erik ten Hag but that leaves Ronaldo in a little bit of a predicament.
No major European club has stepped forward to sign the Portugal veteran and it appears his dream of playing Champions League football will have to be put on hold.
Cristiano Ronaldo on links of Al Nassr deal done: “No, that’s not true — not true”, he said after the game. 🚨🇵🇹🇸🇦 #Qatar2022
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 6, 2022
Al Nassr proposal, on the table — but no green light from Ronaldo as of now. pic.twitter.com/y2duCzmZtA
Al Nassr have attempted to lure one of the sport’s greatest ever players to Saudi Arabia by offering one of the biggest contracts in professional sports history.
A reported deal worth £430 million has been put to Ronaldo and the ball is now very much in the Portuguese’s court.
While Ronaldo said that the agreed switch is simply “not true”, neither he or his team denied interest from the Saudi Arabian club.
There is undoubtedly some truth behind the rumours and Al Nassr remain red hot favourites to tie Ronaldo down to a mega money contract in Riyadh.
With so much talk in the media surrounding Ronaldo’s future, there are plenty of reports that are both supporting the rumours and playing transfer talk down.
The Daily Mail claim that Ronaldo’s team described the concept that a deal was done as “nonsense” while ESPN also state that the 37-year-old is yet to announce his decision.
Even Piers Morgan, the man who conducted the interview that led to the termination of Ronaldo’s contract, has been involved – stating that news of Ronaldo’s move is “not true”.
With Portugal involved in the World Cup quarter-finals, CR7 is firmly focused on helping the national side in their bid to reach the final at Qatar 2022.
However, there remains lots of uncertainty surrounding his club future. Will he sign a deal to play in Saudi Arabia or is he determined to return to Europe? Only time will tell.
Sports betting markets are firmly in favour of a switch to Al Nassr but Ronaldo continues to play down those discussions. Perhaps we’ll know more by the New Year.
One of the greatest footballers of all-time, Ronaldo is past his best and the Saudi Arabian league would at least give him the chance to showcase his talent on a brand new stage.
Obviously, the money is a huge factor and £430 million over two and a half years is a figure that simply cannot be ignored. He is unlikely to be offered anything close to that in Europe.
Tune in for more Cristiano Ronaldo transfer rumour news as we get it. For now, sit tight and enjoy the rest of the 2022 World Cup. It would be some story if Ronaldo can lead Portugal to glory in Qatar.
