Newcastle will reportedly have the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo if they qualify for the Champions League.
According to Marca, a clause has been inserted in his contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr that will potentially allow the veteran striker to one day reignite his love for Europe’s top club competition.
Specifically, Newcastle’s Saudi ownership has led to Al-Nassr giving the green light to a loan move to Tyneside should they qualify for the Champions League.
The striker is said to be desperate to maintain his goal record in the competition with Lionel Messi only 11 behind in the all-time rankings.
Ronaldo had pushed hard to sign for a club in the Champions League after leaving Manchester United late last year, but found only Al-Nassr offering the required wages.
Later today, he will be unveiled in Riyadh on a £175million-a-year contract.
Eddie Howe’s Magpies currently sit third in the table - although it is unclear if they would want to sign Ronaldo amid their own big spending.
The manager said in October: “We’re trying to provide long-term growth, we’ve got a longer-term vision.
“At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we probably need to invest in more young players. That’s probably a big part of our progression, really.
“We need to get the average age down, so [Ronaldo] might not be a signing that we would necessarily look to make – but not under-estimating the quality of the player.”
