Newcastle could soon be getting their hands on Cristiano Ronaldo after a rumour emerged about his contract with Al-Nassr.
What’s the story?
Well, the Portugal international recently chose to join the Saudi Pro League side after failing to find a Champions League club willing to match his salary demands.
According to the Evening Standard, Ronaldo will earn £173m-a-year with Al-Nassr, a significant contract which sees the five-time Ballon d’Or winner receive £514,000 every 24 hours.
Interestingly, that contract also includes a clause which would allow the 37-year-old to join Newcastle if they qualified for the Champions League.
It was MARCA in Spain who claimed that Eddie Howe could soon be getting his hands on Ronaldo if he ends the 2022/23 campaign in the Premier League top four.
The Portuguese forward – who has scored 103 goals in 236 Premier League appearances – is said to be desperate to return to Champions League action and extend his record in the competition.
As things stand, Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in the Champions League with 140 goals in 183 outings.
Lionel Messi is the only player in with a realistic chance of breaking that record – the Argentina international currently has 129 Champions League goals, and remains active in the competition with Paris Saint-Germain.
Newcastle must turn down Ronaldo
Now, that would have been a baffling statement to make during the days of Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce.
However, it is testament to the strong atmosphere Howe has created at St James’ Park that a move for Ronaldo would now be deemed as a potential negative.
As revealed by the striker’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan, he must be the centre of attention at his club, something Newcastle would not, and should not, afford him.
It would be a tremendous achievement for Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League, although Howe risks undoing his hard work by bringing the problematic Ronaldo to Tyneside.
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