Saudi sports minister keen on Ronaldo signing
With his career at Manchester United over, Cristiano Ronaldo is on the hunt for a new club with Saudi Arabia among his possible destinations.
Ronaldo's club future could yet be in the Middle East despite rebuffing a previous offer from a Saudi Arabian side, with the nation's sports minister hailing him as a "role model".
The Portugal captain is without a domestic team after mutually agreeing the termination of his contract with Manchester United in the wake of a controversial interview.
It brings to an end an ill-fated second spell with the Premier League club, yet it could have been curtailed even earlier after the forward fielded bids from other teams during the off-season.
One of those was from an unnamed Saudi club and now the country's minister of sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, has backed the possibility of another move to bring Ronaldo to the nation.
"Anything is possible," he told BBC Sport. "I would love to see Ronaldo play in the Saudi league.
"It would benefit the league, the sports ecosystem in Saudi, and it will inspire the youth for the future. He's a role model to a lot of kids and has a big fan base."
Ronaldo's exit prefaced news the Glazer family, long-term owner of United, is reportedly considering a sale, after years of protests over the direction the club has headed under its watch.
Coupled with Fenway Sports Group, the owner of fellow Premier League team Liverpool, exploring its options, the door is open for potential further investment into the English top-flight from the gulf state.
Newcastle United is already owned by Saudi Arabia's state-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF).
While Abdulaziz has ruled out another bid from the government he has suggested private investment could still be explored.
"It's the most-watched league in Saudi and the region, and you have a lot of fans of the Premier League," he said.
"From the private sector, I can't speak on their behalf, but there is a lot of interest and appetite and there's a lot of passion about football.
"We will definitely support it if any [Saudi] private sector comes in, because we know that's going to reflect positively on sports within the kingdom. If there's an investor willing to do so and the numbers add up, why not?"
