A football chief has stated that the league he presides over would welcome the arrival of Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo amid rumours the Portuguese received a contract proposal worth £211 million (R4.2 billion) a year.
It was widely reported that Ronaldo had asked the Red Devils to sell him in the recently passed transfer window, although a move failed to materialise for a host of reasons.
United had initially been unwilling to part ways with the former Real Madrid and Juventus talisman, with it said that the Glazer family insisted on hanging on to his signature despite manager Erik ten Hag being open to the idea of his sale.
The club's resolve, however, was not truly tested after several clubs across Europe declared themselves uninterested in a move for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but there was reportedly concrete interest from a team in Saudi Arabia.
According to the Daily Mirror, an unnamed Saudi club offered Ronaldo a contract worth a staggering £211 million a year, while he received another offer that would have reportedly seen him earn £2 million (R39 million) a week.
Although it was claimed the United forward had declined both opportunities, the president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, continues to dream of seeing the legendary No. 7 in the Middle East country.
"We would love to see a player like Cristiano Ronaldo playing in the Saudi league, it would bring a huge positive feedback and it would be big news for everyone," he told The Athletic.
"I'm sure everyone knows the achievements and records of Cristiano Ronaldo, but also as a player who is a great role model.
"I think, 'Why not?', I'm sure it would be a very expensive deal, of course, but we can see our clubs getting higher revenues in the past couple of years.
"We have already seen some big players who used to play in the Premier League come to the Saudi league.
"I like Cristiano Ronaldo as a player, and I would like to see him play in Saudi Arabia."
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Rumours suggest that Ronaldo could push for an exit from United in the January transfer window following his stuttering start to the current campaign, in which he has come on off the bench in five of his seven appearances to date.
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