Cristiano Ronaldo has been snubbed by top Saudi decision-makers, with N'Golo Kante set to join Al-Ittihad. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is taking control of four top clubs in order to promote the development of the national league.
PIF bought Ronaldo's club Al Nassr as well as new champions Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has bought a 75% stake in four clubs and the Kingdom is now expected to invest heavily in all the teams, especially when it comes to signing new players.
Al-Ittihad will participate in the Club World Cup later this year, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in December. And on Tuesday they revealed the massive signing of Karim Benzema, who has left Real Madrid to earn up to £170m a year at his new club. That's the same salary as Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
Kante is expected to soon follow Benzema in the Saudi Pro League. And CBS Sports reports that free agent Kante will go to Al-Ittihad although Ronaldo's Al Nassr is also "very keen" to sign the midfielder from Chelsea. However, the report claims that power brokers ultimately decided he would be better off at Jeddah than Ronaldo's teammate. FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-NEWCASLE
Cristiano Ronaldo was snubbed by Saudi leaders when Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino supported him (Image:
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This is partly because Al-Ittihad will represent the country in the Club World Cup. They could find themselves facing Premier League champions Manchester City in the competition. But Kante is consolidating the current champions, where he will be paid around £86m a season on a two-year contract, which may not be suitable for Ronaldo.
The Portuguese is said to have hoped to be helped by Riyadh to win the title next season after scoring 14 goals in his first 16 Pro League appearances. Although Al Nassr has shown significant interest in Kante, Ronaldo will not be joining the Frenchman. The good news for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner - who is vying for his eighth league title in another country for a fourth - is that he could still benefit from the help of some superstars next year.
Wilfried Zaha is a player linked with a move to Al-Awwal Park but he would rather stay in Europe according to Fabrizio Romano. Other top Saudi club targets include Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Angel Di Maria, Luka Modric, Hugo Lloris, Roberto Firmino, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
Kante's departure really helped the new Chelsea coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Frenchman has suffered frequent injuries over the past two seasons but remains one of the highest paid players at Stamford Bridge with £290,000 a week. While he remains a high-quality player when fully fit, Chelsea needing pay cuts and midfield additions means that Kante's eventual departure makes sense. The Blues will look to replace Kante's power by signing Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a lower salary.
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