Manchester United's top scorer from last season wants to leave the club
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo has received a lucrative offer to join a club in Saudi Arabia, according to reports.
The Portugal international only returned to Old Trafford in 2021 but he has informed the club of his desire to depart this summer.
United finished sixth in the Premier League last term and will not be participating in the Champions League this time around.
Ronaldo, who has won Europe's principal competitive five times in his career, is ready to embark on a new chapter.
United continue to insist he is not for sale, but they could change their mind if Ronaldo digs in his heels.
(Image credit: PA)
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have both been linked with a swoop for the 37-year-old over the last couple of weeks.
But the Blues are said to have reservations about Ronaldo's suitability to their side, while PSG have no room in their wage bill to accommodate him.
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An alternative potential destination has now emerged, with CNN Portugal reporting that a Saudi Arabian club is keen to sign Ronaldo.
The side are prepared to offer United a transfer fee of £30m for a player who will be out of contract in less than 12 months' time.
Ronaldo would receive an eye-watering salary worth around £105m per year, with an additional £20m going towards agent fees.
(Image credit: Getty)
Ronaldo has never seemed overly interested in playing outside Europe, but such a pay packet may be sufficient to change his mind.
Vincent Aboubakar and Odion Ighalo are probably the two most well-known foreign players currently plying their trade in the Saudi Professional League.
The signing of Ronaldo would be a major coup for the Middle Eastern country, but there are still doubts over whether United would be willing to sell him.
Ronaldo has not joined the rest of his team-mates on a pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia due to a "family reason".
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).
