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Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia was thwarted by a transfer ban on Al-Hilal, according to claims made by the club’s president.
The Portuguese was heavily linked with a move away from Manchester United following their failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League.
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The likes of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid were in contention to sign him, while a highly lucrative move to Saudi Arabia was also understood to be on the table.
And Al-Hilal president Farhad ben Nafel confirmed the club’s interest in Ronaldo was genuine.
Ben Nafel, who sanctioned a two-year contract worth £2million-a-week and £210m in total, plus a £25m transfer fee, also claimed the 37-year-old was happy with the deal ‘in principle.’
He told the Thamanya YouTube channel, as quoted by the Daily Mail: “Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem was not in the money or the principle.
“Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world, but it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Centre that prevented us from registering the players.
“We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted.”
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Al-Hilal were given a transfer ban in May after their midfielder Mohamed Kanno changed his mind on a move to Al-Nassr at the last minute with an agreement already made by both clubs.
The Saudi outfit are managed by Ramon Diaz and have the likes of former West Brom midfielder Matheus Pereira, ex-Atletico Madrid forward Luciano Vietto and Odion Ighalo, who was on loan at Man United for a year.
Ronaldo has scored just one goal so far this season, a penalty against Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League, with Erik ten Hag starting him for just one Premier League match this term.
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