MX23RW : Monday, November 4 21:30:21| >> :120:15909:15909:

Cristiano Ronaldo 'close to agreeing £173m-a-year deal with Al-Nassr'

Ronaldo 'close to agreeing £173m-a-year deal with Al-Nassr'
© Reuters
Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr are close to coming to an agreement with Cristiano Ronaldo over a contract worth £173m a year, according to a report.

Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly on the verge of coming to an agreement with Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr over a deal worth in the region of £173m a year.

The 37-year-old recently had his contract at Manchester United terminated following the explosive interview that he gave to Piers Morgan on TalkTV.

Ronaldo initially told the Red Devils last summer that he wanted to leave in order to continue playing Champions League football, but he remained at Old Trafford past the transfer deadline.

The Portugal international is now free to move to another club, and it had been thought that he wanted to remain in European football for at least one more season.

Sporting Lisbon and Chelsea are among the clubs to be linked with the experienced forward, but the speculation surrounding a move to Saudi Arabia has gathered pace in recent days.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo in action against Ghana at the World Cup on November 24, 2022© Reuters

Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal recently said that he "would love" Ronaldo to make the move to the country to continue his football career.

"Anything is possible, I would love to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league. It would benefit the league, the sports eco-system in Saudi and it will inspire the youth for the future. He's a role model to a lot of kids and has a big fan base," he told BBC Sport.

Al-Hilal have been heavily linked with the forward, who told Morgan that he turned down a two-year deal worth just over £300m to move to Saudi Arabia over the summer.

"It's true, yes it's true (offer from Saudi Arabia)... but what the press keeping saying, the garbage that nobody wants me, which is completely wrong," he said.

According to Marca, Ronaldo is now close to ending the speculation surrounding his future, as he prepares to sign a huge contract with Al-Nassr.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo during training on November 14, 2022© Reuters

The report claims that the deal will run for two-and-a-half years and will be worth £173m per year, making it comfortably the largest football contract of all time.

Al-Nassr have won the Saudi Professional League on nine occasions, with their last title coming in 2019.

The Saudi side are currently managed by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, who has previously been in charge of the likes of Lille, Roma, Marseille and Lyon.

Ronaldo is currently focused on the 2022 World Cup, and he became the first men's player to score in five World Cups when he struck in Portugal's competition opener against Ghana on November 24.

The forward claimed that he had also registered against Uruguay on Monday night, but Portugal's first of the match was awarded to Bruno Fernandes, with it ultimately being decided that Ronaldo did not make contact on his teammate's cross into the box.

ID:500908:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5277:

Cristiano Ronaldo future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Cristiano Ronaldo

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during Portugal training on November 19, 2022
Read Next:
Bayern chief rules out Cristiano Ronaldo move
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Bournemouth104331312115
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
11Brentford94141818013
12Fulham93331212012
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!