Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, ESPN’s James Benge has shared an update about Cristiano Ronaldo amid links to Newcastle United.
Marca reported this week that Ronaldo has a clause in his Al-Nassr contract that will allow him to join the Magpies on loan if they reach the Champions League.
These reports have been denied by Eddie Howe, while others have also stated that there is no truth to these rumours.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a deal is impossible.
Indeed, according to Benge, there is nothing in writing in Ronaldo’s contract about joining Newcastle, but the Portuguese star does reportedly have complete autonomy over his future with Benge stating that the door is always open for him to leave Al-Nassr.
Ronaldo is in control, but Newcastle deal isn’t lined up
Benge shared what he knows about this whole situation.
“I’ve just had a text actually from some contacts close to that deal. They say that in terms of the Newcastle stories, as Eddie Howe says, nothing is written down, but one thing that is very clear is that Cristiano Ronaldo has total autonomy at Al-Nassr, and if he’s not happy the door will be open for him, that’s what I’ve just been told by some sources around that,” Benge said.
He’ll be back
Ronaldo said that he was finished with European football at his Al-Nassr unveiling, but it’s hard to imagine that this is the case after this update.
Ronaldo, perhaps more than any footballer in history, is addicted to playing top-level football, and after a few months in Saudi Arabia, the itch to play Champions League football will surely return.
Whether or not that’s at Newcastle remains to be seen – the move would make sense from a commercial point of view, but regardless of where he ends up, we may not have seen the end of Ronaldo in Europe.
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