Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has all but declared his club out of the running for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The superstar is still a free agent following his contract termination at Manchester United last month. Reports are linking the 37-year-old with a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia, with offers apparently trumping the €350m opportunity at Al-Hilal he turned down in the summer.
Ronaldo was benched by national team coach Fernando Santos in Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland in Tuesday World Cup last 16 bout, the veteran coming on the final 15 minutes. Earlier in the tournament, he became the first men’s player to net in five separate finals thanks to his spot kick in the opening 3-2 win over Ghana.
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After the game, he was asked whether a deal with a Saudi club had been agreed, to which he responded: “No, it isn’t true.” Portugal face Morocco in the quarter-finals following their shock shoot-out win over Spain with the winner awaiting either England or France in the semi-finals.
It is Ronaldo’s last shot at the biggest prize in football, as it is Lionel Messi’s and there is a scenario where Argentina face Portugal in the final. But while Messi’s club future after the World Cup is secure, Ronaldo is at risk of being being unemployed.
And it looks as through the two greats will not be linking up in Paris, either. PSG chief Al-Khelaifi, as per GOAL, said he struggled to see where Ronaldo would fit into the side.
He commented: “The three players that we have [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappe, it’s very difficult, but I wish him all the best. He’s fantastic and he’s still an amazing player.”
Mbappe’s brace against Poland in France’s 3-1 win in the last 16 saw him increase his all-time World Cup goals tally to nine and therefore leapfrogged Ronaldo’s feat of eight and matched Messi’s total.
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