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Does Cristiano Ronaldo really have special Newcastle clause in Al-Nassr contract?

Recent rumors have circulated that Cristiano Ronaldo's new Saudi Arabia club, Al Nassr, has a clause in his contract for the Portuguese tospend the followingseason on loan at Newcastle, should the Magpies make the UEFA Champions League. Here, find out if there really is such a clause.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr
Ā© Yasser Bakhsh/Getty ImagesCristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr

On Tuesday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was formally revealed by his new team Al-Nassr, saying he made the move because he had ā€œwon everythingā€ in Europe. Saudi state-owned media have reported that his annual salary with Al Nassr would be over €200 million.

The 37-year-old veteran also said that he hadbeen pursuedby other teams from different parts of the globe. Portugal’s performance in Qatar 2022 wasn’t great, but the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made history by scoring in his fifth World Cup. Then, the Selecao coach Fernando Santos benched him in favor of Goncalo Ramos during the round of 16 and quarterfinal matches.

This followed his public separation from Manchester United, which was precipitated by the comments to TalkTV’s Piers Morgan that he felt ā€œbetrayedā€ by the Premier League team. At the time, Ronaldoexpressed concern about his comeback to the squad and expressed distaste for manager Erik ten Hag in the interview.

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Will Cristiano Ronaldo join Newcastle if they qualify for the Champions League?

Though he just signed with Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo may still have UEFA Champions League aspirations.Marcareported this weekthat the 37-year-old’s deal has a clause that would enable him to join Newcastleon loan if the club qualifyfor the Champions League next season.

The report explains that ā€œthe Middle Eastern connectionā€ is responsible for this development since the North East company is controlled by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. Following his departure from Manchester United in November, the Portuguese striker signed a deal with Al-Nassr for two and a half years.

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However, Eddie Howe, manager of Newcastle, has now shot down the rumors that the club may trigger a transfer clause to get Cristiano Ronaldo. Howe was questioned about the rumors just before his team’s showdown with Premier League leaders Arsenal.

He made it obvious that Ronaldo would not be joining the club at St. James’ Park, but he did not minimize the player’s talent or accomplishments in any way:ā€œWe wish Cristiano all the best in his new chapter, but there’s no truth in that from our perspective. It’s not true that we have that kind of clause.ā€

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