Manchester United star in talks to reunite with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr - Reports
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly is reportedly in talks over a potential move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr. The Ivorian is not a part of the Red Devils' plan and is expected to leave the Premier League giants in the summer transfer market.
Bailly and Ronaldo played five matches together during the 2021-22 season. The defender spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Olympique de Marseille.
Marseille had a buying obligation in the loan deal if they qualified for the UEFA Champions League. While the Ligue 1 club finished third in the league and secured a spot in the UCL, Bailly made only 23 appearances across competitions, meaning his clause was not mandatory to be activated.
Manchester United already have the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, and Harry Maguire in their ranks. Hence, Bailly is surplus to requirements and is expected to be sold.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are looking to make a swoop as it is evident from the Saudi Pro League club's performances in their friendly matches that the team are far from solid in defense.
When Louis Saha said that Cristiano Ronaldo would have prefered to stay at Manchester United than join Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo's second Manchester United spell came to a tumultuous end as the Portugal captain left the Red Devils via mutual termination of his contract after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan.
Since joining Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has scored 14 goals and has provided three assists in 19 matches for the club. However, the SPL side went trophyless last season whereas the Red Devils won the Carabao Cup.
Ronaldo's former teammate Louis Saha recently said that the Portuguese would have preferred to stay in Manchester. He told Compare Bet:
"If Cristiano had understood what was required of him and for the squad, to compromise in some way, he could have stayed [at Manchester United]. He’s a great player, and I still feel frustrated because he could have scored at least 10-15 goals easily this year and helped the team be in a stronger position."
Saha further said:
“Cristiano is a very proud man, and he would never say this, but deep down he would have preferred to have been scoring goals and winning trophies with Man United. It would have been the better story for him, and better for his legacy, even if he won’t admit it.”
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr have lost their previous two friendly games by heavy margins. A 5-0 drubbing by Celta Vigo on Monday (July 17) was followed by a 4-1 hammering by Benfica on Thursday.