Football chief urges Saudi clubs to sign Man Utd’s Cristiano Ronaldo in ‘expensive deal’

The president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation said a switch to their national league is a possibility for the Manchester United attacker.
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Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, has revealed he ‘would love’ to see Cristiano Ronaldo join the national Saudi league.

The Manchester United forward was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer as speculation surrounding his future at Old Trafford continued to mount.

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In fact, The Athletic claim that was Ronaldo’s only firm offer in the last window, despite reported interest from the likes of Napoli, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Bayern Munich.

A potential move to Saudi Arabia is something which, at this stage, can’t be ruled out for the 37-year-old, especially given Al-Misehal recent comments.

“We would love to see a player like Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the Saudi league,” he said in an interview with The Athletic.

Ronaldo appears to have fallen behind Martial and Rashford in the pecking order at Old Trafford. Credit: Getty.Ronaldo appears to have fallen behind Martial and Rashford in the pecking order at Old Trafford. Credit: Getty.
Ronaldo appears to have fallen behind Martial and Rashford in the pecking order at Old Trafford. Credit: Getty.

“It would bring a huge positive feedback and it would be big news for everyone. I’m sure everyone knows the achievements and records of Cristiano Ronaldo, but also as a player who is a great role model.

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“I think, ‘Why not?’ I’m sure it would be a very expensive deal, of course, but we can see our clubs getting higher revenues in the past couple of years. We have already seen some big players who used to play in the Premier League come to the Saudi league.

“I like Cristiano Ronaldo as a player and I would like to see him play in Saudi Arabia.”

Almisehal pictured at the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar. Credit:Getty.Almisehal pictured at the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar. Credit:Getty.
Almisehal pictured at the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar. Credit:Getty.

Al-Misehal was also asked if he could see Ronaldo making a January switch to the Middle-Eastern country and responded: “To be honest, I don’t have the answer. If I was the president of a club, I could give you the answer. But my colleagues at the clubs don’t have to share their negotiations with me.

“It wouldn’t be an easy transaction for a Saudi club or even for him, but we would love to see him or even some other top players of the same level.”

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Ronaldo started on Thursday night as United lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad in the Europa League, and once again put in an underwhelming display.

The former Real Madrid and Juventus star has not scored in any of his seven matches this season, although the majority of those appearances have come as a substitute.