Barcelona superstar says no to Cristiano Ronaldo, turns down Al-Nassr’s staggering €200m offer

Cristiano Ronaldo might have been hoping a young and exciting high-quality winger in the shape of Ousmane Dembele could join him at Al Nassr this summer, but the Frenchman has reportedly turned down a potential 200 million euro contract with the Saudi Arabian team in an effort to win his place back in Barcelona.

The French winger joined Barcelona in a big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, but hasn’t lived up to his potential since his 9-figure purchase by the Catalonians. His recurring injury concerns have seen him miss chunks of every season, and although he was a starting figure in France’s run to the 2022 World Cup final, his value continues to decrease in the eyes of the Barca hierarchy.

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The Frenchman was reportedly offered a big-money move if he opted to play in the Saudi Pro League, but Footymercato reports that the two-footed winger prefers to stay on in the Spanish city to try and earn a contract extension.

The Frenchman has been a disappointment to Barcelona fans since he was originally brought into the club to act as Neymar Jr’s replacement. He has failed to play 2000 minutes in any seasons since his last year at Dortmund as a teenager, missing far more minutes than he has played in his career at the Camp Nou.

The move to Al Nassr might have been a good change of pace for Dembele to find his footing in professional football, with a big paycheque and time stills head of him at age 25. Nevertheless, Dembele has turned down the deal, attempting to revive his career and live up to his immense potential in Barcelona, or elsewhere amongst Europe’s elite failing that.

Ronaldo was Al Nassr’s first statement signing, but has since been joined by Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Ivorian midfielder Sekou Fofana, and Brazilian fullback Alex Telles, with potentially even more names on the horizon in an increasingly competitive Pro League.