Ronaldo loan move to Al-Hilal 'counter-intuitive'

The main enforcement of Saudi Pro League nine Al-Hilal says that a indebtedness determination for Cristiano Ronaldo up of the Club World Cup would person been "completely counter-intuitive" due to the fact that helium played for their "biggest opponent" Al-Nassr.

Al-Hilal were linked with a imaginable woody for the 40-year-old Portugal forward aft Fifa introduced an further transportation model earlier this period due to the fact that of the revamped tournament.

Both rival Riyadh clubs are controlled by the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Ronaldo is retired of declaration astatine Al-Nassr astatine the extremity of June.

But erstwhile asked if they came adjacent to a determination for the forward, Esteve Calzada told BBC Sport: "We usually don't remark connected players' situations, peculiarly due to the fact that our sanction is ever enactment retired there, erstwhile a subordinate oregon an cause wants to negociate a amended woody with his club, oregon is trying to determination out.

"It's been a precise weird transportation window, it's a precise abbreviated play of time.

"You don't privation to instrumentality a determination reasoning astir this tourney that past you person to transportation connected with for the adjacent 2 oregon 3 years.

"As overmuch I respect Ronaldo arsenic a immense player, arsenic we each recognise helium is, it's surely wholly counter-intuitive that you bring the biggest subordinate of your biggest hostile to play with you.

"Even much erstwhile it's lone for 3 to 4 weeks.

"We've been trying to spot if we tin reenforce the team. But immoderate players were with a mindset of 'holidays already', immoderate players were sometimes conscionable asking for excessively overmuch money, and we're alert that our squad is highly competitive.

"We'll spell into the accepted transportation model aft the tourney inactive with the biggest ambitions to spot if we tin reenforce the squad adjacent more."

Al-Hilal precocious appointed Simone Inzaghi arsenic their caput coach but did not marque immoderate large signings up of the Club World Cup.

Earlier this month, Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes claimed helium rejected a immense connection from Al-Hilal due to the fact that helium inactive wants to play "at the highest imaginable level".

"I cannot corroborate nor contradict that we've been funny successful him," added Calzada.

"He's a large player, it fits the illustration of subordinate that we deliberation would beryllium bully for Al-Hilal, conscionable similar galore others. We're not refraining from contacting players due to the fact that we consciousness they would accidental nary to us.

"The names we are linked with show the ambition of the club. We judge that we are successful a presumption to transportation [to] immoderate players nowadays."

In caller months, Al-Hilal person besides reportedly considered moves for Liverpool guardant Darwin Nunez and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

While refusing to remark connected those circumstantial cases, Calzada did say: "We are targeting the biggest players.

"We are precise ambitious, but we request to spot hunger from the subordinate himself and the transaction needs to enactment retired some ways.

"The lone happening we've been trying to punctual players and agents is that 'yes, we are from Saudi, but we don't people notes here!

"My relation arsenic CEO is to marque definite we tally the nine efficiently, truthful that we tin person the biggest fund imaginable to person large players, but not astatine immoderate cost.

"That's wherefore sometimes we fundamentally locomotion distant from negotiations, due to the fact that we inactive privation players highly keen connected coming, and not lone looking for the money."

The likes of Ruben Neves, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Cancelo helped Al-Hilal triumph the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League, but grounds signing Neymar near the nine successful January aft conscionable 7 appearances pursuing an injury-hit spell successful Riyadh.

When asked if the nine regretted signing the Brazilian, Calzada - who antecedently worked astatine some Barcelona and Manchester City - said: "I would accidental nary regret astatine all.

"It's conscionable bittersweet that helium got severely injured. It's ever been unfair to criticise Neymar for being injured, erstwhile astir of the injuries came from tackles from opponents.

"A collateral affirmative effect of it is that it helped america to marque the nine much fashionable globally. It helped america to summation societal media followers erstwhile helium arrived, alongside different large names.

"Now we person implicit 42 cardinal followers connected societal media. The bully quality for america is that immoderate of those followers, we won them due to the fact that of the accomplishment of Neymar, and erstwhile helium left, they stayed.

"So successful that respect, it's immoderate benignant of bequest that tin enactment with us."

Al-Hilal finished the Saudi Pro League play 8 points down caller champions Al-Ittihad, and sacked Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus past period aft his squad were knocked retired of the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals.

Inzaghi was appointed conscionable days aft his erstwhile nine Inter Milan mislaid the Champions League last against PSG.

"It mightiness look similar it's thing that came quickly, but it's the effect of hard work," said Calzada.

"He was playing a monolithic lucifer and asked [us] to support things speech until aft the final, it was decided but not signed earlier the final, conscionable due to the fact that retired of respect helium asked america to wait, which is surely just enough.

"This play we came disconnected second, that's beneath par for what is expected from us.

"And precise simply what we expect from the caller manager is that helium helps america to triumph again and to re-establish our championship."

Al-Hilal statesman their Club World Cup run against Real Madrid connected Wednesday successful a repetition of the last of the 2022 tournament.

Real Madrid won 5-3 successful Morocco, with Vinicius Jnr and Federico Valverde each scoring doubly and Karim Benzema - present of Saudi nine Al-Ittihad - besides connected target. Al-Hilal responded done Moussa Marega and 2 from Luciano Vietto.

"It's a immense accidental for america to amusement our product, [and] to besides trial our level arsenic well, due to the fact that we don't person truthful galore opportunities," said Calzada.

"We're not present to speech shirts with Real Madrid players, oregon lone for the exposure.

"We person a precise talented squad, with the summation of a world-renowned caller manager with america and with that we spell to the tourney with the maximum ambition."