Cristiano Ronaldo 'pushing' Al-Nassr to complete shock Man City transfer

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been pushing Al-Nassr to sign Mateo Kovacic from Manchester City. Kovacic, 30, joined City from Chelsea last summer in a deal worth around £25million plus add-ons.

During his debut season at the Etihad Stadium, Kovacic won the Premier League for the first time in his career. Alongside this, the Croatian helped City reach the quarter-final of the Champions League and the FA Cup final. He made 46 appearances, scoring three goals in all competitions last term.

Kovacic has started this campaign in fine form and scored on the opening weekend against former club Chelsea. However, the return of Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona has raised question marks over his future. Despite rumours circulating of a move away, Kovacic remained at City following the end of the transfer window.

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Now, according to CBS Sports, it has emerged that Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr were interested in a move for Kovacic on deadline day. They are said to have been prepared to offer the midfielder a staggering £840,000 per-week contract - approximately six times more than his current earnings at City - to lure him to the Middle East.

Al-Nassr had hoped to secure Kovacic as a marquee signing before the end of the summer deadline. However, their inability to clear space on their international roster prevented any deal from being finalised.

Each club participating in the Saudi Pro League has the right to register a maximum of eight non-Saudi players in the list for each match in addition to one foreign player born in