Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United may be drawing to a close as the 37-year-old begins exploring Saudi club interest as a serious option.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner made it clear his desire to leave the club in the summer, but was barely inundated with offers from the kind of European powers he expected. Major teams including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid have all turned down the chance to sign Ronaldo over the last period.
Desperate to play in the Champions League, Ronaldo turned down an offer from an unnamed Saudi club that would have brought home an extraordinary paycheck of £ 2 million a week. Another proposal would have meant he would earn £ 211 million a year. However, with Ten Hag apparently preferring the idea of Marcus Rashford playing in midfield, it is believed that Ronaldo’s will to stay until the end of the season is diminishing. The former Real Madrid man, meanwhile, comes to terms with the fact that his love affair with Europe’s most prestigious club football competition is coming to an end.
United are currently not a Champions League club and lost the first game of the Europa League group stage 1-0 to Real Sociedad at Old Trafford. Add to that the fact that Ronaldo still can’t get into this team and you can see why his patience is running out.
This also explains why the Saudi option becomes a more attractive proposition for the aging striker. If the chances of playing the Champions League again are slim, his field is starting to think he might as well earn those aforementioned jaw-dropping salaries.
Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Association, spoke to The Athletic about the idea of a player of Ronaldo’s caliber pursuing his profession in the country, suggesting that the offer is still valid despite being turned down during the season. summer.
