Cristiano Ronaldo cleared to leave Al Nassr for £43m – latest on Man Utd & transfer back to former club

Cristiano Ronaldo can reportedly leave Al Nassr this summer as the Saudi Pro League look ready to move on from the Portuguese superstar.

According to iNews, Ronaldo could leave for £43m, the value of his release clause with Al Nassr, with a return to Sporting Lisbon looking a genuine possibility.

Another of Ronaldo’s former clubs, Manchester United, are not currently looking to re-sign the Portugal international, however.

The report from iNews quotes Saudi sources as sounding relaxed about the Ronaldo situation, as other big names could be targeted in this summer’s transfer window.

Even if it would be a blow to lose a huge name like Ronaldo, it seems the Saudis remain confident that they could perhaps land someone like Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.

“With other big names leaving, we will look at lots of other marquee names in the summer,” one source is quoted as saying.

“Mohamed Salah and Bruno Fernandes would be the perfect picks. Salah especially, given he would attract an Arab audience as a Muslim.

“Either of those coming in, along with that younger talent, would be huge for us. And really soften any Ronaldo blow.”

Even if it makes sense that we were always likely to see Ronaldo linked with Man Utd again after two previous spells at Old Trafford, it seems this one is not happening.

The 41-year-old forward may still be a top class player, but paying the kind of money required to sign him at this age is surely too big a risk for someone like United.

In truth, it’s hard to see any European club who could afford Ronaldo being tempted to go in for him after his spell in Saudi football, which is far less competitive than most of the major European leagues.

United fans would surely love to see CR7 return again, particularly after the difficult end to his second spell, but there would also surely be some acknowledgement that that’s based on sentiment more than anything else.

It would be quite a fitting end to Ronaldo’s career, however, if he were to end up back at his first club Sporting.

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