Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Manchester United was up in the air for several months and earlier this week, his 15-month homecoming came to end after a mutual agreement to terminate his contract was reached.
That decision came after the 37-year-old took part in an explosive interview with TalkTV host Piers Morgan, in which he was heavily critical of the club, Erik ten Hag and even young academy players.
Ronaldo is now a free agent for the first time in his career and has time to pick his club freely ahead of the resumption of club football at the end of December.
Over the summer, it was reported that Ronaldo was the subject of an offer from a Saudi Arabian club and in the interview, the Portugal international confirmed that he rejected that proposal.
Now, it is being claimed that Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal are exploring a move for Ronaldo following his sudden emergence on the free agent market.
That’s according to Sky Sports, who add that Al-Hilal will in turn put former United striker Odion Ighalo up for sale if they are able to sign Ronaldo.
SN’s verdict…
Much of Ronaldo’s frustration over the summer was the lack of Champions League football at Old Trafford but a move to Al-Hilal would rule out European action altogether.
Ronaldo has also been linked to Chelsea in the January transfer window and the London club’s new owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, are longstanding admirers of the player.
The termination of Ronaldo’s deal means that he is free to join anyone and club-to-club negotiations will not be necessary.
