Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a step closer to joining his next club after leaving Manchester United. Ronaldo, 37, headed to the World Cup in Qatar with Portugal as a free agent after United and the five-time Ballon d’Or winner parted ways for the second time. It came following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticised the club, Erik ten Hag and several figures associated past and present.

Ultimately, there was no way back for Ronaldo at Old Trafford – as reports claim the superstar has been booked in for a medical ahead of his next move. As per CBS Sports and other international outlets, Saudi outfit Al Nassr have pencilled in that particular formality as well as offering him $75million (£62m) per season in his contract.

Al-Nassr president Musli Al-Muammar is remaining tight-lipped about the possibility of taking Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia. The 37-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Middle East following his controversial exit from Manchester United in November. The Red Devils confirmed that Ronaldo had left the club by mutual consent after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where Ronaldo hit out at the Glazers and Erik ten Hag.

It was the final straw for United, who decided to part ways with the veteran forward, 15 months after re-joining the club from Juventus in August 2021. Since that exit, Ronaldo’s options have steadily decreased, with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid both ruling themselves out of signing him and elite European options seemingly few and far between.

One of the only offers he has received since his departure from Old Trafford has come from Al-Nassr, with CBS Sports reporting that the Saudi side have scheduled a medical for Ronaldo ahead of what Mirror Football understands, could be a contract eventually worth in excess of £1bn, given its commercial commitments amid the Saudi push to host the 2030 World Cup.

However, president Al-Muammar didn’t give much away when asked about potential signing Ronaldo in what would be a record-breaking transfer. “Ronaldo is not right and most of what has been written and said in the media is a lie”, Al-Muammar told reporters following Al-Nassr’s 2-2 draw with rivals Al-Hilal.