Cristiano Ronaldo ‘agrees a £173MILLION-per-year contract, by far the biggest in football, with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr – and is close to signing’ after Europe’s top clubs shunned him post-Man United exit
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly agreed a bumper £172.9million-a-year contract with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
The 37-year-old had his Manchester United contract terminated earlier this month, following a tumultuous relationship with club chiefs that only worsened when he made a number of controversial statements in a TV interview with Piers Morgan.
The Portugal international was pushing for a move away from Old Trafford in the summer, but did not get his wish as he was determined to play Champions League football.
The former Real Madrid star rejected a switch to Saudi last summer, but without any firm interest from Europe’s elite clubs, he looks set to now make the move.
Ronaldo is said to have agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with Al Nassr worth £172.9million per year that will see him play until the age of 40, according to Spanish newspaper outlet Marca.
Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.
Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly agreed a £172.9million-a-year deal with Saudi side Al Nassr
In both 2020 and 2021, Al-Nassr may not won the league, but they did manage to win the Saudi Super Cup.
The Saudi giants currently have a few big-name stars of the past in the form of goalkeeper David Ospina, Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo and Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar.
Another huge factor for Ronaldo might be that Al-Nassr’s backroom staff is predominantly made up of Portuguese, eight of the 12 members.
Ronaldo remains focused on helping Portugal top their group at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
The same report has also suggested that no club from Europe or the MLS could afford to offer anywhere near such a luxurious offer.
Chelsea have also cooled their interest in Ronaldo while Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich denied talks earlier this week since his bombshell interview where he slammed United’s owner and manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo, however, remains focused for the time being on…