Reports coming out of Spain are claiming that Cristiano Ronaldo will officially join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr on January 1 after his exit from Man Utd.
Ronaldo has been without a club since he left Manchester United last month.
The 37-year-old exited United after he hit out at Erik ten Hag, Ralf Rangnick and the Glazer family during an interview with Piers Morgan.
The forward was initially unhappy after United failed to qualify for the Champions League and he missed most of pre-season for personal reasons.
This left him playing catch-up with the rest of United’s squad and he spent most of the first few months of the 2022/23 campaign in and out of the team.
Ronaldo wanted to leave in the summer but this was blocked by Man Utd at the time. They changed their tune after the Morgan interview left them with no choice but to part ways.
The veteran flattered to deceive at the World Cup and he is now set to sign for Al-Nassr.
The Middle East side are reportedly willing to offer him around £173m a year. He would have a couple of years as a player and he would eventually become an ambassador to help with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid.
Spanish outlet Marca are reporting that Al-Nassr will ‘make everything official on January 1’ when the winter transfer window opens.
The report suggests that PSG defender Sergio Ramos is their ‘next target’ and they are ‘working on trying to convince him’ to join them next summer.
Ramos’ first season at PSG in 2021/22 was impacted by injury but he has played consistently for the French giants this season.
The 36-year-old may take some convincing about a move to Saudi Arabia as Marca claim that ‘in his head, he wants to continue in the elite’. His contract is set to expire next summer.
A move for Ramos is on the back burner, at least for now. The report adds that Al-Nassr’s priority right now ‘is to get Cristiano Ronaldo to set foot in Riyadh’.
It is added that an individual who is ‘highly trusted’ by the ex-Man Utd star was in Saudi Arabia ‘days ago’ to ‘outline details of everything that the presence of Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia would mean’.
Christian Eriksen has admitted that Man Utd were “sad” to see Ronaldo leave last month.
“First of all we are sad that Ronaldo is not part of it, his legacy and his name at any club is special, for me to be fortunate to play with him in my career was very nice,” Eriksen said.
“The football goes on. You feel that the next game after, people will forget what it was like before and now our focus is really like he is not here.”
7 stars who could take Ronaldo’s No7 shirt at Man Utd as transfer window opens
Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from Old Trafford in Novemeber, the number seven shirt remains unclaimed at Manchester United ahead of the January transfer window
Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit has left the number seven shirt available (Image: Getty Images)
The iconic Manchester United number seven shirt remains available following Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the club.
Ronaldo departed Old Trafford by mutual consent in November as a result of his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan, leaving Erik ten Hag’s side short in the attacking department. With the transfer window set to open on January 1, any mid-season arrivals could be the next player to claim the famous number previously worn by David Beckham and Eric Cantona.
Meanwhile, several current Red Devils could also claim the shirt number in the summer, instead. With that in mind, here are seven players who could take Ronaldo’s old number.
Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata has been identified as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A familiar face to fans of the Premier League from a stint at Chelsea, Alvaro Morata is the latest forward to be linked with a move to United.
It is understood that Morata has been identified as a replacement for Ronaldo, with an approach being lined up ahead of the window opening this weekend.
Morata, who has scored five goals for Atletico Madrid this season, has never worn the number seven at club level but has donned the shirt for Spain at each of the three major tournaments he has appeared at.
Joao Felix
Joao Felix is being linked with a number of Premier League clubs (Image: Getty Images)
Sticking with Atletico, Ronaldo’s international team-mate Joao Felix will reportedly be allowed to leave the club on loan in January.
United are said to have a growing interest in the forward, who can play down the middle, on the left and behind a central striker. The number seven shirt would be familiar to Felix, having held the number at Atletico since signing from Benfica in 2019.
Ten Hag will have to move quickly to sign the 23-year-old, though, with Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea all linked with Felix in recent weeks.
Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay could return to Manchester United (Image: Getty Images)
Unlike the rest of the players on this list, Memphis Depay has already been United’s number seven, having worn the shirt between 2015 and 2017.
He could do so once again in the new year, with United amongst the clubs being tipped to sign him as his time at Barcelona appears to be over.
Despite the potential for a low-price deal, as Depay’s Barca deal expires in the summer, United fans are uncertain on the move and have urged the club not to bring the Dutch forward back to the club.
Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann is being linked with Manchester United again (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
As well as being linked with Atletico’s current number seven, United have also been keeping tabs on their former number seven, according to reports.
However, any deal for Griezmann would likely have to wait until the summer, with the Frenchman currently on loan at Atletico from Barcelona. The deal is set to become permanent at the end of the season.
United have been tipped to make a move for Griezmann in recent weeks following previous rumours in the summer and in 2019.
Antony
Antony was unable to claim the number seven shirt in the summer (Image: PA)
If United are unable to find a successor to Ronaldo during the January transfer window, then Antony is one of the current crop of players that could take over the mantle.
United parted with £80million in the summer to sign the Brazilian winger from Ajax, with Antony penning a deal until the summer of 2027.
With Ronaldo still at the club when he arrived, Antony instead opted for the number 21 shirt previously worn by Edinson Cavani and Daniel James.
Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho previously wore seven at Borussia Dortmund (Image: PA)
Another big-money winger to join the club in recent times, Jadon Sancho was also denied the number seven shirt despite arriving before Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford.
At the time of Sancho’s signing from Borussia Dortmund, Cavani still occupied the shirt number, forcing the Englishman to instead snap up the number 25.
Sancho previously wore number seven throughout his time in Germany, having been handed the squad number following his move to Dortmund from Manchester City at the age of 17.
Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho has been tipped for stardom at Old Trafford (Image: Getty Images)
Alejandro Garnacho became only the seventh player in United’s history to wear the number 49 this season after previously wearing 75 on the back of his shirt.
The teenage winger has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign so far, scoring three goals and adding three assists in 13 appearances across all competitions.
Expectations are high for Garnacho at Old Trafford and his performances have hinted that he could be handed the iconic number seven shirt sooner rather than later.
Source: football365.com; dailystar.co.uk
