Cristiano Ronaldo appears to be edging continuously closer to making the Middle East his permanent home. The former Manchester United striker has been training individually as he awaits his next move, after becoming a free agent. Initially he was given permission by Real Madrid to train at their Valdebebas training ground, before the player decided to head for Dubai with his family.

During the World Cup, news broke that he had an agreement with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr. That news was denied by the player himself. It appears he has no acceptable offers from European football and in an interview with Flashscore, Al-Nassr Sporting Director Marcelo Salazar confirmed they were in talks with the Portuguese superstar.

“We are going to wait and see how things develop until the end of the year. As you must understand, this is a negotiation of enormous magnitude, not only for the club, but for the country and for world football, and it must be carried out by higher authorities.”

Salazar sang Ronaldo’s praises, with his comments being carried by Diario AS. ”He was always an example for me as an athlete, because of the will he shows to win. And then, as a Portuguese citizen, I always supported him. But at the right moment, his future will be revealed.”

Even for a player of Ronaldo’s ability and profile, the interview that led to his exit made it difficult for him to be recruited by top European sides. Such a show of indiscipline makes it hard for a manager to believe that he will have a willing employee, even if they take decisions that are not to Ronaldo’s taste. Even if players are often unhappy, managers are likely to try and deal with it internally, but a public storm reflects poorly on them and the club.