DUBAI: Cristiano Ronaldo, who became club-less on Tuesday, is only willing to discuss Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasr Club’s offer of €225 million ($234 million) once the FIFA World Cup ends.
The Portuguese striker, who just parted ways with Manchester United, is reported to have been offered a three-year contract worth €75million per year by the Saudi club, according to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
Well-informed sources told the newspaper, citing Ronaldo’s agent, that the latter does not want to end negotiations with Al-Nasr and would only consider it after the World Cup ends in Doha.
On Thursday evening, the 37-year-old striker became the first player to score at five World Cups with his 65th-minute penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana.
Ronaldo’s controversial second spell at Manchester United came to an end with the Premier League giants on Tuesday.
The Portugal forward appeared to be on his way out of Old Trafford following last week’s television interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for new manager Erik ten Hag.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, negotiations with his agent have reached advanced stages but the Portuguese captain does not want to end them now.
The Saudi club previously negotiated with Ronaldo after he rejected the idea of joining Al-Hilal in summer 2021 because he wanted to continue playing in the UEFA Champions League.
Al-Nasr, according to sources cited by the newspaper, renewed the idea of including the striker for €75million per season for three years. The amount announced last summer was approximately €350 million.
The 37-year-old, who plans to play until he is 40, has said the World Cup in Qatar would probably be his last appearance in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Ads Checker published the ranking of the most likely destinations for Ronaldo, putting Chelsea at the top. British reports linked Ronaldo to Chelsea last season, in light of the London club’s need for a new striker. Press reports in England, meanwhile, said the Blue’s interest could be renewed.
The next most likely destination is his former club, Sporting Lisbon, where Ronaldo joined United from for $14 million in 2003, in a then record-breaking deal for a teenage player.
Dolores Aveiro, Ronaldo’s mother, previously said that she would like her son to return to the Portuguese club.
A third option is a move to one of Major League Soccer in the US, as David Beckham, former United player and owner of Inter Miami, said in an interview in 2020 that his club would seek to sign big names such as Ronaldo and his Argentine rival, Lionel Messi.