Fans Relieved as Cristiano Ronaldo Rejects Mega Offer From Saudi Club

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Saudi club

Recent reports were circulating that a Saudi Arabian club have made a humongous offer to buy Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. Nevertheless, the fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the Portuguese superstar has since then turned it down as he is looking for clubs that can offer him Champions League football.

Ronaldo took the footballing world by storm when he asked the Red Devils to listen to offers for him during the ongoing summer transfer window. Having missed out on Champions League qualification for the upcoming season, it’s obvious that the Portuguese forward doesn’t fancy playing in the second-tier European competition and thus, informed the club of his wish to leave.

Although the 37-year-old had a decent individual season, it is not what he would have wanted collectively. United had their worst season of the Premier League era and Ronaldo had to rescue them on several occasions. The star striker himself failed to keep up with his goal tally of previous years while his club failed to come close to winning any trophy in the 2021/22 campaign.

As reported by The Athletic, Cristiano Ronaldo had received a gigantic offer of more than £200million from a club in Saudi Arabia. The report stated that the unnamed club were ready to offer £25million (€30m) as transfer fees for the five-time Balon d’Or winner. That is already more than what Manchester United had paid to Juventus when Ronaldo returned to the Theatre of Dreams.

However, the most jaw-dropping thing about the offer from the Saudi club was the wages that Cristiano Ronaldo would have received. The Middle- East club were willing to pay £2.24million-a-week in wages to lure the 37-year-old away from Old Trafford. This means that the Portuguese would have received £233.23million (€275 million) over two years if he had accepted the deal.

Moreover, the proposal apparently included an agent fee of £20 million. Thus, he would have raked up around £210 million in two seasons. However, according to 90min, the forward has turned down the mammoth deal because his only reason to leave Old Trafford this summer is to play in the Champions League.

From what I can gather, Ronaldo probably won’t accept the offer from Saudi Arabia, as he still wants to play in the most competitive league possible. I am told it is true Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid remain a possibility, as well as the option of staying at Manchester United

— Jønathan Shrager (@JonathanShrager) July 14, 2022

Ronaldo’s recent transfer request has allowed some clubs to explore their options and try to sign the Portuguese legend. Chelsea did consider a move for the former Real Madrid striker but manager Thomas Tuchel decided against it. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich were also touted to be interested in signing the United forward, but seem to have rejected the claim.

Despite the transfer request, manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that Ronaldo will be going nowhere. The Dutch manager had a conversation with the player and discussed with him how they should proceed. During a press conference in Bangkok, the ETH said:

“We are planning for Cristiano Ronaldo for the season and that’s it and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

“I have read but what I say is Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want success together. I spoke with him before this issue came up, I had a conversation with him and I had a good talk.”

“That is between Cristiano and me, what I can confirm is we had a really good conversation together. What I said before, once again, I had a really good talk together.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is going nowhere, according to Ten Hag 👀 pic.twitter.com/X6Wq4NtrQ2

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 11, 2022

However, Ronaldo has not trained with the Red Devils this season, despite Ten Hag insisting on the player staying at Old Trafford for the upcoming season. He has also missed United’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia due to family reasons.

What Could Be The Best Move For Cristiano Ronaldo?

Being a five-time Balon d’Or winner also means that any club in the world will be wanting to have the player. So, it is no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo had generated interest from Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich. However, the German giants were the first to close their doors on the possibility of signing the forward. Later, PSG also backed out from the opportunity of signing him.

Chelsea were the only club who were interested in the player for a while, but now Tuchel has made his intentions clear on Ronaldo’s arrival. Not many clubs can afford the Portuguese striker’s current wages and that could be the reason for clubs backing out. Nevertheless, there is another reason why managers and clubs may not prefer his arrival.

The 37-year-old’s huge goodwill has had an effect on the clubs he has joined lately. Although Ronaldo did win a few trophies with Juventus, that was certainly not the club’s best period. Similarly, The Portuguese’s first season at United was very opposite to the season the Red Devils had just before his arrival.

However, United have now made quite a few changes and have appointed Erik ten Hag as their new manager. The Dutchman will be expected to employ his team in a way that will get the best out of Ronaldo.

Despite the fact that the Red Devils will not be playing in the Champions League, it could be the best move for Cristiano Ronaldo to stay and keep faith in the new boss. Both the player and the manager are aware of the fact that the team needs to find an identity, a consistency to succeed again.

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