- Cristiano Ronaldo is close to signing with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, according to MARCA.
- The club is said to have offered him a two-and-a-half year deal worth $207 million annually.
Cristiano Ronaldo is close to signing with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in a deal that will see him earn $207 million per year, according to Spanish newspaper MARCA.
Ronaldo, 37, is currently without a club, released by Manchester United on November 22, and MARCA reported on Wednesday that Al Nassr, which has won the Saudi Pro League nine times, has offered him a two-and-a-half year deal that would make him the highest earner in world sport by far.
According to Forbes, only two other current athletes in the world earn more than $100 million per year – NBA superstar LeBron James ($122 million) and soccer icon Lionel Messi ($124 million), totals that also include endorsement income. Ronaldo ranks third on the list, bringing in $115 million (with $55 million coming in off-pitch income).
The offer from Al Nassr would dwarf all other deals and comes after a number of top European clubs, including German side Bayern Munich, distanced themselves from making a move for Ronaldo.
Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn told reporters on Tuesday: "We have a clear idea, a clear philosophy of how our squad should be put together. We all appreciate him, there is no discussion.
"We all love Cristiano Ronaldo, but that is something that doesn't fit into our idea."
Ronaldo had his Manchester United contract terminated earlier this month after he attacked the club, its manager Erik ten Hag, and its owners in an unsolicited television interview with Piers Morgan.
He told Morgan that he didn't "have respect" for Ten Hag and accused United of showing a lack of "empathy" when his young daughter was hospitalized in July.
After being released by United, Ronaldo said in a statement: "I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge."
Should his proposed move to Saudi Arabia fall through, the door is open for Ronaldo to join Major League Soccer.
"We've had players like David Beckham and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, but having someone with the quality of Ronaldo would certainly be something that we would have a lot of interest in," Jeff Agoos, a former US international and current Major League Soccer executive, told Insider last week.
"A lot of things can happen, but we'd be excited to have Cristiano Ronaldo," he added.