Cristiano Ronaldo did not turn down a mega-money move to Al-Hilal after asking to leave Manchester United, the Saudi Arabian club have claimed.
A two-year contract in the region of €275m (£246m) was reportedly offered to Ronaldo, 37, in the summer along with a £26.5m transfer fee.
It was claimed Ronaldo had rebuffed the prospect of playing in the Middle East but Al-Hilal club president Fahad ben Nafel has insisted the move broke down due to sanctions against the team, after a case involving the signing of midfielder Mohamed Kanno.
Nafel told the Thamanya YouTube channel, in quotes translated by The Sun: “Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo.
“The problem was not in the money or the principle, Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world.
“But it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Centre that prevented us from registering players.
“We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted.”
