Cristiano Ronaldo pushing Al-Nassr to make $1 million salary per week offer to sign 33-year-old star: Reports
According to a report by Mundo Deportivo, Cristiano Ronaldo wants Al-Nassr to make a move for Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne. The Portuguese icon is pushing the Saudi-based club to make a $1 million-a-week salary offer to the Belgian.
De Bruyne has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe over the past couple of years. The 33-year-old has been a pivotal player in Manchester City's dominance under Pep Guardiola, winning six league titles in seven seasons, and most notably a continental treble two seasons ago.
However, the Belgian playmaker is getting to the twilight of his career and has recently struggled with injuries that question his ability to perform at the highest level for the next couple of years. De Bruyne is in the final months of his contract at the club and could leave as a free agent next summer.
Reports say that Manchester City are in talks with the player for a contract renewal. However, a new deal could see the Belgian international take a significant pay cut from his current £375,000-per-week salary if he is to stay at the Manchester club.
According to the report, Ronaldo has encouraged Al-Nassr to offer De Bruyne an attractive salary that he thinks would be difficult for the former Chelsea star to turn down given his contract issues. By adding the Manchester City star to their team, the Al-Nassr captain believes it will strengthen their pursuit of dominating the Saudi Pro League.
De Bruyne was strongly rumored to be moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer, but the move didn't happen. The Saudi Pro League has attracted many top players lately. Thus, the chance to play with Cristiano Ronaldo and earn a large salary could persuade the City midfielder to join the Knights of Najd.
When Kevin De Bruyne talked about playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo
Belgian star Kevin De Bruyne has previously expressed his desire to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. Speaking in 2020 to Football Daily, the Manchester City playmaker said that playing alongside the Portuguese forward would benefit his game immensely. He said:
"I would like to play with Cristiano Ronaldo. I would definitely have more assists with Cristiano. I could cross the ball three metres too high and know he is still going to get it. He would help me a lot."
At the time, Ronaldo was heavily linked with a move back to the Premier League from Juventus, with the Ehihad being a possible destination. However, he opted for a return to City's rivals Manchester United where he played for two seasons before leaving for his current club Al-Nassr.