FC Barcelona star rejects Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr to reclaim pride in Catalan club

Cristiano Ronaldo might have settled into his stride in the Saudi Pro League, but could not take Al-Nassr to the title-winning column. As he is content with his new assignment the club is searching for members who can take the role of providers for Ronaldo in the upcoming season. While the Saudi club has made some notable recruitments already, it is reportedly not done and endeavored to bring in a big superstar from FC Barcelona, however, failed in their pursuit.

3 things you need to know

• Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr after FIFA World Cup 2022
• Ronaldo formerly played for big clubs like Manchester United, Juventus, and Real Madrid
• Ronaldo is the highest goalscorer in the history of Real Madrid

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Al-Nassr made a move for FC Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele

Cristiano Ronaldo may have hoped that Ousmane Dembele, a young and exciting high-quality winger, would join him at Al Nassr this summer, but the Frenchman has reportedly turned down a potential 200 million euro contract with the Saudi Arabian team in order to reclaim his place in Barcelona. The French winger joined Barcelona in a big-money move from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, but he hasn't lived up to his potential since the Catalans paid a nine-figure fee for him. His recurring injury issues have caused him to miss large chunks of every season, and despite starting in France's run to the 2022 World Cup final, his value in the eyes of the Barcelona hierarchy continues to dwindle.

(FC Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele during a gamme against PSG. Image: AP)

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Dembele wants to reclaim pride at Barcelona

The Frenchman was reportedly offered a big-money move if he chose to play in the Saudi Pro League, but Footymercato reports that the two-footed winger prefers to stay in Spain and try to earn a contract extension. Since being brought into the club to replace Neymar Jr, the Frenchman hasn't lived up to the expectations of Barcelona fans. He has not played 2000 minutes in any season since his final year as a teenager at Dortmund, missing far more minutes than he has played in his career at Camp Nou.

Dembele's move to Al Nassr may have been a good change of pace for him to find his footing in professional football, with a big paycheque and time still on his side at the age of 25. Nonetheless, Dembele has declined the offer, preferring to relaunch his career and live up to his enormous potential in Barcelona, or elsewhere among Europe's elite if that fails.

Ronaldo was Al Nassr's first big signing, but he's since been joined by Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, Ivorian midfielder Sekou Fofana, and Brazilian fullback Alex Telles, with possibly even more names on the way in an increasingly competitive Pro League.