Ronaldo came 'very close' to MLS move as contract details and meetings emerge

Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly 'very close' to signing for MLS outfit Sporting Kansas City before he decided to proceed with a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr.

Speculation has been rife over Ronaldo's future since it was confirmed earlier this month that he had parted company with Manchester United by mutual consent. The 37-year-old, who only returned to Old Trafford around 18 months ago, failed to secure a move away last summer and was expected to depart in the January transfer window.

Ronaldo had been heavily linked with a move to Al Nassr for months prior to Friday night, when it was confirmed that a deal had been fully agreed. However, it has now been revealed that the Saudi Arabian outfit were not the only team courting the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Sporting Kansas City chairman Rob Heineman retweeted a post from The Blue Testament which confirmed that the MLS outfit were locked in talks with Ronaldo 'for weeks' in a bid to thrash out a deal.

It is claimed that Ronaldo's team were impressed with the offer, which was said to be "very close" to the record-breaking contract offered by Al Nassr, and held 'multiple meetings' with Sporting KC before a final decision was made.

Luring Ronaldo to the United States would have represented a major coup for the MLS, with reports earlier this year claiming that Inter Miami, the franchise owned by David Beckham, were trying to convince Lionel Messi to see out his career in the United States.

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Ronaldo's decision to move to Saudi Arabia, where he will earn a reported £173million-a-year, has left his former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville both surprised and 'saddened'.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the move had been confirmed, Neville said: "We're going to see a lot less of him obviously. It tells us how serious Saudi Arabia are about football, they aren't going to go away, they're going for the World Cup, invested £350m in one player. They're trying to strengthen the league.

"For Cristiano Ronaldo, I thought he'd want to stay in this season at least in Europe, score more goals and try and find a Champions League club, so it tells me that the offer is staggering and maybe the club he wanted in Europe didn't come in for him.

"There's an element of sadness for me because we're not seeing Cristiano Ronaldo at the top level, something we could've seen at Old Trafford if things had of been dealt with properly but that had to come to an end and close before the World Cup. It's been in an inevitability and Cristiano Ronaldo is going to see his career out in Saudi."