CRISTIANO RONALDO has been linked with an emotional return to Sporting Lisbon amid his intense stand-off with current club Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo, 41, went on strike on Monday and was left out of Jorge Jesus’ squad for the second time today amid a row with the club’s majority owners the Public Investment Fund.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is fuming over his team’s spending levels compared to Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli who are also owned by the PIF after a quiet January transfer window.
That is why the star forward reportedly refused to play against Al-Ittihad today and wasn’t involved in their 1-0 win at Al-Riyadh on Monday.
According to The i Paper, however, Saudi chiefs are ready to move on if the Portugal captain decides to leave in the summer.
The Al-Nassr skipper has a contract until June 2027 but suitors will be issued with a cut-price release clause worth £43million this summer.
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The same source claims Manchester United aren’t interested in bringing the club legend back to Old Trafford for a third spell.
However, a return to one of CR7’s other former clubs is likelier ahead of the summer transfer window.
Sporting, which is where Ronaldo’s glittering 24-year career kicked off, could get their famous academy graduate back if they manage to raise the aforementioned funds.
Neverthelsss, the Portuguese giants would also have to consider the ex-Juventus star’s astronomical wages as he is currently on a staggering £488,000 per day.
The Portuguese star spent five years with Sporting’s academy and burst onto the scene in 2002 with five goals and six assists in 31 appearances before Sir Alex Ferguson brought him to United a year later.
The Real Madrid legend has also been linked with a move to the MLS as well as the Qatari Stars League.
Saudi chiefs would love to keep Ronaldo but they have recently turned to other stars that could fill in the void, such as Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes and especially Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah.
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