Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo has “demanded” that current club Al-Nassr sign wantaway Red Devil Alejandro Garnacho, according to reports.
Garnacho is certain to depart Old Trafford this summer after he was told by manager Ruben Amorim to find a new club, and Ronaldo is said to be desperate to be reunited with him in the Saudi Pro League.
Spanish publication Fichajes claim that Al-Nassr are now looking closely at the 20-year-old “at the express request” of the Portuguese legend, who is still negotiating a contract extension with the club.
Al-Nassr have been linked with Garnacho before, but with the youngster thought to be prioritising football over money it was not widely seen as a viable option for him.
However, with his idol, whose trademark celebration he mimics after scoring a goal, supposedly calling for his signature his head may be turned.
In fact, according to Fichajes this “emotional connection” is so great that Al-Nassr are “confident that the personal connection will outweigh the multimillion-dollar contract they are willing to offer.”
The exact size of that contract is not given, but in terms of pure salary there is no doubt that the Saudi side will win any battle when it comes to personal terms.
Garnacho is not short on offers from closer to home, with reported interest from the likes of Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea and European giants such as Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli.
Al-Nassr view Garnacho as a replacement for former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, but he would also “give a new face to their project”.
Fichajes posit that for the player “the opportunity to share a dressing room with his idol again, play a leading role, and enjoy a massive contract represents a scenario difficult to ignore.”
That is pure conjecture, but should the Argentinian youngster decide to move to Saudi he would certainly be rewarded with column inches and notoriety as one of the highest-profile prospects to take the controversial move.
For their part, United would doubtless love to sell him to a club with almost limitless wealth who will never be a direct competitor.
Fichajes don’t put forward a potential price tag for the winger, but confidently claim that Al-Nassr “could offer a fee close to that demanded by the English club”. Based on reports elsewhere, the fee is believed to be in the region of £50m.
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
