Cristiano Ronaldo will see out his 2½-year contract at Al-Nassr, with sources at the Saudi Arabian club telling ESPN that reports of a clause allowing Ronaldo to join Newcastle United on loan if they qualify for next season’s Champions League are “fake.”
Ronaldo, who will be 38 on Feb. 5, will be officially unveiled as an Al Nassr player at the club’s Mrsool Park stadium at 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday (11 a.m. ET).
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The Portugal captain has become football’s highest-paid player after agreeing a $75 million-a-year deal after he mutually terminated his Manchester United deal following a series of disciplinary issues at the club.
Having attempted to leave United during the summer in order to sign for a team competing in the Champions League, a report in Spain has claimed that Ronaldo only agreed to play for Al-Nassr with a clause inserted in his contract that would enable him to leave for Newcastle, whose majority owners are the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The report also claimed, incorrectly, that Al-Nassr are also owned by PIF.
Sources at Newcastle dismissed the suggestion that the club has an option to sign Ronaldo if they qualify for the Champions League, while a source at Al-Nassr told ESPN that the story is “all fake.”
Al-Nassr are due to play Al Taee at home on Thursday, but sources said that Ronaldo’s debut is most likely to be in the away game against Riyadh rival Al Shabab on Jan. 14.