Why Cristiano Ronaldo's move from Manchester United to Saudi Arabia broke down

Cristiano Ronaldo was linked with a clutch of clubs over the summer as it became apparent he wanted out of Manchester United.

The Portuguese superstar, who only returned to Old Trafford in 2021, had made it clear he wished to remain playing Champions League football - something United could not offer him after only qualifying for the Europa League last term.

In the end, a move never materialised and he's now having to make do with starting league games on the bench for Erik ten Hag's side.

Whilst a number of high-profile clubs such as Juventus and Chelsea were linked with a move for the 37-year-old, one link that was more left-field was the one involving Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal. Reports claimed that a purse exceeding £200m was on the table - a two-year deal would have seen Ronaldo earn roughly £2m per week - but in the end nothing came of it.

Now, the president of Al-Hilal has said that it was not the fact that the club do not play in the Champions Leaguer – but red tape was to blam for the deal falling through. A transfer ban was imposed in May on the reigning Saudi champions following Mohamed Kanno's decision to backtrack on a move to rivals Al-Nassr.

Speaking on the Thamanya YouTube channel, Fahad ben Nafel said: "Yes, we negotiated with Ronaldo. The problem was not in the money or the principle, Al-Hilal is able to bring in the stars of the world, but it was in the decision of the Sports Arbitration Center that prevented us from registering the players.

"We did not stop negotiating with the players despite the decision to ban, but we were delaying entering the final stage of the negotiations until the ban was lifted."

Ronaldo is on international duty with Portugal this week but will be hoping to play some part in Sunday's Manchester derby at the Etihad.