With reports suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo could make a spectacular return to the Premier League and UEFA Champions League next season with Newcastle United, the Magpies' head coach has set the record straight about the football icon's potential arrival.
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The five-time Ballon d'Or winner recently signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr after calling time on a two-decade stint in European football.
The 37-year-old is set to become the highest-paid player in football history with his new contract said to be worth €200 million (R3.5 billion) a year in the Middle East, and while he has just signed with the Saudi Pro League outfit, recent speculation suggested there was a glimmer of hope of a potential return to Europe.
Earlier this week, it was reported that international football's all-time leading goalscorer could make his way to Newcastle if the Geordie side were able to qualify for the Europe's premier club competition next season.
With both Al Nassr and Newcastle owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the Madeira native was said to have a clause in his contract that would make a 2023/24 loan deal between the clubs possible.
Eddie Howe, the manager of the Premier League side, has, however, dismissed rumours of such a deal existing.
"We wish Cristiano all the best in his new venture, but there's no truth in that from our perspective," he said prior to his team's game against Arsenal in the English top flight on Tuesday night, as per the Daily Mirror.
For the first time since the 2002/03 campaign, Newcastle, who are currently third on the table, find themselves with the possibility of finishing in the league's top three.
Having recently broken their club transfer record for Swedish marksman Aleksandr Isak in the past off-season, though, it now seems unlikely Ronaldo will find himself at St. James' Park next season.
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