Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United on bad terms, but that isn’t stopping him from trying to convince with a former team-mate

Cristiano Ronaldo is working hard to convince a former Manchester United team-mate to join him in Saudi Arabia at Al-Nassr, despite his acrimonious exit from Old Trafford last year.

Since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr at the start of 2023, a number of high-profile stars have all joined him at the Saudi side, with Sadio Mane, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic and Alex Telles now all at last season’s Saudi Pro League runners-up.

The Portuguese forward isn’t content with stopping there, however. With a number of free agents still available in Europe, Ronaldo is attempting to convince one former Manchester United stalwart to try his hand in the Middle East.

 

According to 90min, Ronaldo is playing an active role in Al-Nassr’s pursuit of David De Gea, who is still without a club after leaving Old Trafford in the summer.

After agreeing a new deal with Manchester United, the club then retracted the contract offer, leaving De Gea free to depart the Red Devils and end his 12 years at the Premier League side.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid both reportedly negotiated a potential deal for the 32-year-old in the summer transfer window, but an agreement couldn’t be struck and he still remains without a club.

 

De Gea has been without a club since leaving Man United upon the expiry of his contract (Image credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

While Cristiano Ronaldo remains persistent in attempting to convince De Gea to reunite with him at Al-Nassr, though, the report suggests that the Spaniard and his wife would prefer to stay in his home country and find a club in La Liga. Spanish outlet Fichajes has linked him with both Real Betis and Valencia in recent weeks.

Ronaldo is currently enjoying a strong start to the 2023/24 Saudi Pro League season, scoring 10 goals in seven games as Al-Nassr sit fourth in the table, though only two points off of first place.