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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Daniel Orme

Cristiano Ronaldo receives mammoth £186m transfer offer that will see him play into 40s

Former Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly received a mega money transfer offer from Saudi outfit Al-Nassr as he hunts for his next club.

The Portuguese only left Old Trafford a matter of days ago with the Red Devils terminating the remainder of his contract by mutual consent following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. A statement from the 37-year-old read: “Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early.

"I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future."

His exit means that for the first time in his career, Ronaldo is a free agent. He will no doubt be aiming to attract the advances of potential employers throughout the remainder of the World Cup in Qatar.

It appears that he has already done that with reports suggesting that a huge offer has already been submitted to his representative Jorge Mendes. According to CBS, Saudi club Al-Nassr have offered him a three-year deal - a contract that would allow the veteran to play into his early 40s.

It is hoped that after the World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo will be more willing to venture outside of Europe with the club having tabled an offer worth $75 million (£62 million) a year. That would mean that Ronaldo could earn in excess of over £186m during the duration of the deal.

Ronaldo left Man Utd earlier this week (Getty Images)

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Contact between Al-Nassr and the striker’s representatives apparently opened in the summer when he submitted his initial request to leave Man Utd and talks are reportedly now ‘relatively advanced’. It is now down to Ronaldo himself over whether he accepts the offer - the only one currently on the table - or indeed waits for further interest.

A whole host of clubs were linked with a swoop for his signature in the summer including the likes of Napoli, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich. There was also a big offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club but it is unclear over whether this is the same as his most recent potential deal.

None of those interested clubs eventually made a move with Ronaldo being forced to remain at Old Trafford. Things immediately started going wrong for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner with United having become second choice to lead the line under Erik ten Hag.

Before the enforced break for the World Cup, he had made just ten starts for the Red Devils - the vast majority of those coming in the Europa League - and only scored three goals.

Before his explosive interview, he had already been dealt a suspension having refused to come on as a substitute in a Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur. His last appearance as a Man Utd player came in a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa - a game in which he captained the Red Devils.

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