Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard says he would be open to the prospect of moving to Saudi Arabia this summer.
The playmaker becomes a free agent on Saturday when his year-long deal at Nottingham Forest expires. He is yet to find his next club and says he will contemplate “all options”, although wants regular game time.
The 30-year-old featured just 20 times this season, playing just two minutes of football since mid-March. He failed to get onto the pitch for the final seven games of Forest’s campaign.
Lingard says he will not dismiss any offer that comes his way, including from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Pro-League clubs have attracted a number of star names this summer including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves.
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Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January upon his explosive exit from United, and since then the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) - Newcastle’s owners - have bought the nation’s four most successful football clubs, giving them access to vast wealth.
Lingard says “big things” are happening in the country regarding football and would welcome an offer from one of the league’s outfits. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I'm considering all options.
“I've never ruled out any team or club out, so for me it's just picking the right team and it's got to be right for me. I just want to play football at the end of the day and that's all I want to do.
“Obviously the project has got to be well suited for me, the team's got to be moving in the right direction but just regular game-time – I'm still hungry.”
He added: “Saudi Arabia are doing big things, and in the next couple of years or so, it will be one of the hotspots to go to. I'm not really surprised that the big names are moving out there.
“Like I say, they're doing big things and it's something I would consider as well – I've not ruled that out either. It's got to be right for me at the end of the day. I've got to go on my gut feeling but I'm still hungry and striving for success.”
