Portugal attacker Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly poised to sign a mammoth seven-year deal with Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr.
The 37-year-old's search for a new club has intensified since Portugal were knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, and a move to Saudi Arabia has been strongly mooted.
Ronaldo's second spell at Manchester United came to an acrimonious end last month, as he ruthlessly attacked various elements of the club in an interview with close friend Piers Morgan.
After admitting that he held no respect for manager Erik ten Hag, while also taking aim at the club's owners the Glazer family, Ronaldo's contract at Old Trafford was terminated by mutual consent.
As a result, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner entered the World Cup as a free agent, but he only managed one goal in five games and was dropped to the bench for the knockout rounds, as A Selecao went out to Morocco in the last eight.
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Since Portugal's elimination, Ronaldo has been keeping sharp at Real Madrid's training facilities as he ponders his next career move, and he is supposedly preparing to make a final decision in the next few days.
According to Marca, Ronaldo's switch to Al-Nassr is on the verge of completion, and the attacker will sign a seven-and-a-half year deal with Rudi Garcia's side until 2030.
The report states that Ronaldo will be contracted to the club as a player for two and a half years until the summer of 2025, and he will spend the following five years as an ambassador for Al-Nassr.
Saudi Arabia are reportedly optimistic about their chances of obtaining hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup after enlisting Ronaldo's help, and the striker is expected to arrive in Riyadh imminently.
In order to facilitate the signing of the former Real Madrid and Juventus man, Al-Nassr must reportedly part ways with two or three current players in order to avoid a breach of financial rules, as Ronaldo's contract is worth a monumental €200m (£176.1m) per year.
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Furthermore, Ronaldo can allegedly expect an ever higher salary when he retires as a player and moves into the role of ambassador, and he has accepted that he will not be able to continue in Europe with a Champions League club.
Prior to broadcast of his explosive TalkTV interview with Morgan, Ronaldo had only accrued three goals and two assists from 16 matches for Man United in the 2022-23 campaign.
Despite featuring from the first whistle in all six of the Red Devils' Europa League group-stage contests, the veteran attacker struggled to force his way into Ten Hag's Premier League starting XI after missing a large chunk of pre-season.
The Portuguese made just four top-flight starts in the 2022-23 season, including his final appearance as captain in a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, and his only Premier League goal this term came off the bench in a 2-1 win at Everton on October 9.
In their first competitive match since Ronaldo's second exit, Man United advanced to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup with a 2-0 win over Championship leaders Burnley on Wednesday evening, with Christian Eriksen and Marcus Rashford on target.
Ben Knapton
