Real Madrid News
Cristiano Ronaldo was waiting for an offer from Real Madrid before Al Nassr move
Following his abrupt exit from Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr, completing the transfer on Friday afternoon.
The Portuguese legend signed a deal until the summer of 2025 with the Middle Eastern outfit, which could see him pocket around €500 million over the duration of the contract.
The move came as a shock to many, considering that Ronaldo had been vocal about his desire to continue playing at the highest level in Europe and had cited his disappointment about not playing in the UEFA Champions League this season with Manchester United.
Following his exit from United and the elimination of the Portugal national team from the World Cup, Ronaldo briefly put up camp at Real Madrid, using the club’s training facilities to keep himself in shape as he mulled over his next move.
And, MARCA is now reporting that during that period, the 37-year-old footballing legend was hoping that Real Madrid would call him and present him with a contract offer to join the club.
Ronaldo is a legend at Real Madrid, having spent eight years at the club between 2009 and 2018. The Portuguese superstar is the all-time leading goalscorer for Los Blancos, having netted 451 goals in 438 appearances, while also winning two La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies.
There had been reports of Ronaldo even being willing to take a major pay cut in order to secure a return to Real Madrid following his exit from Manchester United.
However, Los Blancos, who were happy to permit him to make use of the club’s training facilities, never showed any interest in re-signing the club icon.
And with no offer coming forth from the Spanish capital giants, Ronaldo eventually ended up signing for Al Nassr, in the process bringing an end to his career in top-level European football.
There is no way back for Eden Hazard at Real Madrid. The Belgian international has not given the management any reason to have faith in his abilities over his past four seasons at the club and is unsurprisingly the most important departure for the Merengues in the summer.
Hazard has one more year on his contract in Madrid. However, it is clear that Carlo Ancelotti does not trust him and that any potential replacement manager in the summer will echo his stance.
According to reports from Mundo Deportivo, Fenerbahce are willing to go all out to sign Hazard this summer. The Turkish side have made the former Chelsea their prime target, yet face a steep task ahead of them.
The 32-year-old is hellbent on seeing out his contract with Los Blancos despite seeing his career sink right before his eyes. It thus becomes complicated for the party to lure away the forward, especially in a competition outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Fenerbahce attempted to sign the winger in the recently concluded winter transfer market. They reached an agreement with Real Madrid but failed to get over the line as they could not convince the player of the move.
The biggest obstacle for the Turkish side will be convincing Hazard to make the move by letting go of his lucrative contract in Madrid. The chances are slim, but not impossible.
Hazard has made just three league appearances and one start for Ancelotti’s side this season in La Liga, a steep fall from last season’s 18 and seven respectively.
His last appearance for the team came back in January when Real Madrid faced Cacereno in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga however, he last played in September 2022 in a 4-1 win over Mallorca.
