Cristiano Ronaldo delays agreement with 200 million euros Al-Nassr contract, focussed on FIFA World Cup: Report

On Monday, Marca, a Spanish media outlet, reported that Cristiano Ronaldo had sensationally joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half year deal, worth 200 million euros per season. The news sent the football world into a state of meltdown, with Manchester United recently terminating the Portugal captain’s contract after a controversial interview with broadcaster Piers Morgan. But ESPN has now revealed that the 37-year-old has not made a decision regarding the offer.

Sources have told ESPN that a deal between Ronaldo and the club hasn’t been agreed upon yet, with the attacker currently focussed for Portugal’s ongoing FIFA World Cup campaign. Portugal are set to face Switzerland in their Round of 16 fixture. Ronaldo saw his United contract get terminated after he criticised the club and manager Erik ten Hag during an interview with Morgan.

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He was also approached by the club in the previous transfer window, but rejected those offers as he was seeking to join a club in the Champions League. But Ronaldo’s huge salary has become an obstacle with Chelsea and Bayern Munich backing out from making a move.

He rejoined United during the summer transfer window in 2021, after spending 12 years in Madrid and Turin. He departed the English side after his first stint in 2009. On his return, he finished the season with 24 goals in all competitions, 18 of those being in the Premier League, making him the third-highest goalscorer in the league behind Golden Boot winners Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min. He was also named in the Premier League Team of the year but United finished in sixth spot, failing to qualify for the Champions League. Since Ten Hag’s arrival, he fell down the pecking order, restricted to only 10 2022-23 Premier League appearances, scoring a goal. Meanwhile, he scored two goals and bagged two assists in the Europa League.