Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr recently made a mammoth bid to FC Barcelona for their French winger Ousmane Dembele. The 26-year-old has recently turned his form around in Cataluyna, with him being one of the primary choices of Barcelona manager Xavi. Cristiano Ronaldo’s club is looking to make additions to their squad to win some silverware in the upcoming 2023/24 season and Dembele was one of the names on their radar.
After Cristiano’s recent interview, one-upping his decision to move to the Saudi League and the league’s competitiveness, the Saudis would’ve believed they can price a load of players away from Europe. However, several players, including CR7’s Portugal teammate Bernardo Silva have turned advances from middle eastern clubs. On the other hand, other global superstars like Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante, Riyadh Mahrez, and Kalidiou Koulibaly have decided to move to the desert country. It seems like Ousmane Dembele won’t be joining them soon, though.
Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele reportedly turns down offer from Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr has made a financially humungous offer to Barcelona’s no. 7 Ousmane Dembele. The 26-year-old winger is currently well-settled with the Blaugranas, as he is one of Xavi’s most important players. The player has many years at the top ahead of him and would have faced a tough choice while deciding his future otherwise.
The offer from the Saudi Pro League club would’ve seen the superstar earn a total of $223 million throughout the course of his contract. Barcelona’s recent financial struggles have made most of their players “sellable” for the right price and Al-Nassr was ready to take advantage of the situation by triggering Dembele’s $55 million release clause.
The player was offered nearly $45 million a year on a 5-year contract, alongside giving him a chance to play with 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi’s ex-teammate, however, has outrightly rejected the bid and assured that his immediate future lies with FC Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s European league decline claims take another blow following Dembele snub
Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo was in the news as the Al-Nassr striker was in conversation with a Portuguese journalist. The forward was questioned about a potential return to Europe, which he was very quick to shut down. CR7 stated that there was no chance for him to return back to Europe, as he did not feel that any particular league, apart from the Premier League, had immense quality.
Along with these comments, the world’s highest-paid athlete also revealed that he moved to Saudi as he believes it can become one of the top 5 leagues in the world. He said that his move opened the floodgates, which has now seen a host of European superstars join Saudi Arabian clubs. The forward also took a dig at his long rival Leo Messi by stating that the MLS lacks quality and the Saudi Arabian league is better than the MLS.
Dembele’s recent transfer snub has portrayed the opposite of the claims of the Portuguese star, with many players preferring to play in Europe rather than play for money in the Middle East. How do you guys feel about the current ‘Saudi takeover’ of soccer? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
