Brazilian giants wanted to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate in recent transfer window: Reports

Brasileiro Serie A outfit Botafogo were reportedly interested in luring Anderson Talisca away from Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr earlier this summer.

Talisca, 30, has established himself as one of his club's most important players since arriving from Chinese side Guangzhou FC for €8 million in 2021. He has found the back of the net 70 times and laid out 10 assists in 89 matches across competitions for his current club.

According to Italian news outlet La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Botafogo were keen to add Talisca to their ranks in the summer transfer window. However, they failed to finalise a deal to sign the left-footed attacking midfielder before the end of Brazil's summer deadline day.

However, Botafogo reportedly still have a chance to sign Talisca this year. Should Al-Nassr release the ex-Benfica star to make room for Milan Skriniar's arrival from Paris Saint-Germain, the Brazilian outfit could sign their target on a Bosman move before September 20.

Talisca, whose current deal will expire in June 2026, has shared the pitch with Ronaldo 38 times at Al-Nassr so far. The pair have combined to register seven goal involvements for the Saudi Pro League club.

Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo rules out possibility of retiring from his national team

At a recent press conference, Portugal and Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo rubbished claims that he had thought about retiring from international football in the near future. He said (h/t Al Jazeera):

"It never crossed my mind that my cycle [with Portugal] had come to an end. Quite the opposite: it gave me even more motivation to continue, to be honest. The motivation is to come to the national team to win the Nations League. We've already won it once, and we want to do it again. I might say the same thing over and over again. But I don't think long term; it's always short term."

Ronaldo, who failed to score a goal at the UEFA Euro 2024, continued:

"Until the end of my career, I will always have the mindset that I will be a starter. What I feel at the moment, and the coach's [Roberto Martinez] words also demonstrate this, is that I continue to be an asset to the national team and I will be the first [to admit it] if that isn't the case."

Ronaldo, who will turn 40 next February, has bagged a staggering 130 goals and registered 45 assists in 212 appearances for Portugal so far.

The attacker will next be in action in Portugal's UEFA Nations League Group A contest against Croatia in Lisbon on Thursday (September 5).