Cristiano Ronaldo’s team RUBBISH reports that £173m-per-year move to Saudi club Al-Nassr is complete

Cristiano Ronaldo’s team have denied claims that the forward is set to sign a contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on January 1st.

Reports emerged on Monday morning that suggested the out-of-contract star was on the verge of agreeing a huge deal that would’ve seen the five-time Ballon d’Or winner net close to €200million (£173m) per season.

However, sources close to Ronaldo today told Sportsmail reports of a deal being complete were ‘nonsense’. 

Cristiano Ronaldo’s team have denied claims he is set for a move to the Saudi Arabian league

Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi, having won the Saudi league nine times

Spanish outlet MARCA reported that Ronaldo – who is currently a free agent – was set to sign a deal with the Middle East outfit at the start of next month. 

The outlet claimed that the initial deal was worth close to €100m (£86m) but would’ve incentivised by further agreements such as advertisement and sponsorship deals. 

The 37-year-old became a free agent at the end of last month after his fractured relationship with club chiefs worsened when he made a number of controversial statements in a TV interview with Piers Morgan.

In the extraordinary interview, Ronaldo admitted rumours of a €350m offer for two seasons were true – which he had previously declined. 

The forward had made no comments over his future during the World Cup campaign – where his Portugal side find themselves in the round of 16 – but it seems he’s been working behind the scenes to get a deal done.

Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country’s top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s time at Man United came to an end after his interview criticising the club

Vincent Aboubakar (pictured) is among the big name stars that currently play for Al-Nassr

In both 2020 and 2021, Al-Nassr may not have won the league, but they did manage to win the Saudi Super Cup.

The club, however, have struggled to make a splash on the global scene, but they did compete in the Club World Cup in the 1999-2000 season.

That year they played against Real Madrid in their group, losing 3-1, with Nicolas Anelka and Raul among the scorers for the Spanish giants.

The Saudi giants also currently have a few big-name stars of the past in the form of former Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina, Brazilian midfielder Luiz Gustavo and Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar – who scored a contender for goal of the tournament at the World Cup last week. 

Former Arsenal and Napoli goalkeeper David Ospina (pictured) is among the other big names

They play at Mrsool Park, which has a capacity of 25,000, a huge reduction on playing in front of 74,310 at Old Trafford.

Their chairman, Musalli Almuammar, was previously the president of the entire division, the Saudi Pro League, between March 2018 and March 2020.

He now has an advisory role for the General Entertainment Authority, a government department that regulates the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia.

Another huge factor for Ronaldo might be that Al-Nassr’s backroom staff is said to be predominantly made up of Portuguese, eight of the 12 members. 

Sportsmail exclusively revealed earlier this month that Ronaldo would kiss goodbye to £16million after it was confirmed that he has left Manchester United by mutual consent with immediate effect earlier this month following his explosive two-part interview with Morgan on TalkTV.

Al-Nassr play at Mrsool Park, which has a capacity of 25,000, quite a difference to Old Trafford

His departure led to plenty of speculation, although Premier League rivals Chelsea cooled their interest in Ronaldo since his bombshell interview.

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn also ruled out a move for Ronaldo last month following the Portugal star becoming a free agent.

‘We have already dealt with this,’ Kahn told Sky Sport Germany. ‘We have a clear idea, a clear philosophy of how our squad should be put together.

‘We all appreciate him, there’s no discussion.

‘We all love Cristiano Ronaldo, but that’s something that doesn’t fit into our idea.’

Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn ruled out making a move for the free agent last week

It was only recently that Saudi Arabia’s Sports Minister claimed he would ‘love’ to see Cristiano Ronaldo play in the nation’s domestic football league.

Speaking to BBC Sport , Prince Abdulaziz said: ‘Anything is possible, I would love to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league.

‘It would benefit the league, the sports eco-system in Saudi and it will inspire the youth for the future. He’s a role model to a lot of kids and has a big fan base.’

Ronaldo had previously rejected a lucrative offer put forward from a Saudi Arabian side but now it seems the striker has deemed the deal too good to turn down. 

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdulaziz says he’d ‘love’ to see Cristiano Ronaldo play in their league

The extraordinary deal – that is said to be worth around £173-per-year – will dwarf any numbers that were previously at the top of sport’s all-time most lucrative contracts. 

According to ‘Forbes Highest-Paid Athletes 2022 List’, Ronaldo will easily become the highest earner of any active athlete.

His long-term rival, Lionel Messi, is currently the best-paid sportsman on the planet given his £103.4m deal at French side PSG. 

LA Lakers star Lebron James is the highest earner outside of football but even his £101.4m per year deal looks miniscule compared to Ronaldo’s upcoming deal.

Ronaldo will become the best paid athlete in sports history upon signing for Al-Nassr

The former Real Madrid and Man United superstar is currently still on international duty as Portugal continue their World Cup campaign.

Though the European side are into the round of 16 – where they will face Switzerland on Tuesday night – Ronaldo has come under fire for his performances.

After scoring a penalty in their opener, the 37-year-old has failed to find the back of the net again.

To add to that, he was removed after just 65 minutes in their final group stage game against South Korea – which they ended up losing.