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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Casey Evans

Cristiano Ronaldo sent MLS plea amid Saudi Arabia transfer offer for ex-Man United star

Cristiano Ronaldo has departed Manchester United and now fans are wondering what his next move will be.

Multiple outlets have reported that Ronaldo has an offer from Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. The £175m deal which would span two and a half years would make the 37-year-old the best-paid player in world football.

However, there is the consideration for Ronaldo that moving from United to the Saudi Professional League would basically be confirming to the world that his career at the top level is over Whether the Portuguese forward is ready for that, only he knows.

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Former USA defender Alexi Lalas however does not believe that Ronaldo should move to Saudi Arabia where he would be out of the public eye. If he was to move to another lower league, Lalas stated on the Tonight Show, he would prefer him to come to the MLS.

Lalas stated: "It kind of is out of sight and out of mind. I can't remember the last time we heard about the Saudi Arabian league.

"For a guy that is so concerned about his brand, and certainly has more money than he can do with, it's a strange type of thing for him to do. For 200 million dollars you'll figure it out, but if the alternative is making less money and I get to go and play and live in Miami or Los Angeles.

"MLS can't compete with that type of money, but what MLS can give him is a much bigger entrée into the American market - he's already huge in America. For a guy that's cultivated this brand over the years, that might have been more appealing. "

Lalas ended his pleas by talking about some of the other big stars who have joined the MLS from Europe: "We've seen it with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Thierry Henry or Wayne Rooney. The moments they have from a MLS perspective they do go viral, it's not completely out of sight, out of mind."

Over the past few months, Ronaldo has been repeatedly linked with a move to David Beckham's Inter Miami, however he will not make a decision on his future until after the World Cup has ended.

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