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Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has rubbished claims that the Saudi Pro League club have agreed a deal to sign his Portugal teammate Otavio from FC Porto.
The Riyadh-based club kickstarted Saudi Arabia's spending spree in Europe, roping in Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer in December. They made the Portuguese icon the highest-paid player in the world (€200 million a year) to lure him to the middle east.
Al-Nassr are hard at work on bolstering their ranks further ahead of the 2023-24 season. The Saudi Pro League giants have hired Portuguese tactician Luis Castro as their new manager. They have also signed Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan for €18 million.
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It recently emerged that Al-Aalami are working on a deal to sign Otavio, 28, from Porto. They have already offered the attacking midfielder a contract worth €13 million a year. Portuguese daily A Bola, meanwhile, reported that Ronaldo has directly called the player to sell him a move to Saudi Arabia.
However, Ronaldo has quashed rumors that Otavio is set to join him at Mrsool Park. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner also slammed the media for spreading rumors about Al-Nassr. He, though, affirmed that the Saudi Pro League club will make further additions to their squad this summer.
"It's totally a lie," Cristiano Ronaldo told reporters (h/t Portuguese outlet Desporto Ao Minuto). "You break the news as bait. There's nothing finalized. They have already said that 10 or 15 players were coming to Al-Nassr, but nothing was seen. We know we're going to strengthen, but we don't have any specific players."
Porto are under no immediate pressure to sell Otavio as he is contracted to them till 2025. However, the Portugal international reportedly has a €40 million release clause. The sum is tipped to rise to €60 million shortly, meaning Ronaldo's employers have to act quickly.
Cristiano Ronaldo returns to training with Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo spent the second half of last season at Al-Nassr. He went on to bag 14 goals and two assists from 19 appearances across competitions for the club. The superstar, though, could not guide Al-Aalami to Saudi Pro League glory despite his best efforts.
The former Real Madrid superstar will thus hope to lead the Riyadh-based club to the title next term. He linked up with the rest of his teammates for Al-Nassr's pre-season camp in Portugal earlier this week. The forward is seemingly raring to go after enjoying his break.
Despite reporting for training earlier this week, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't feature in Al-Nassr's friendly against Farense on Friday (July 14). He, nevertheless, watched the game from the stands alongside new teammate Marcelo Brozovic. It remains to be seen if the pair will play against Celta Vigo on Monday (July 17).
