Al Nassr reportedly made a big-money move for a former teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo's - but he opted to turn their 'ambitious' proposal down.
Ronaldo shocked the world by penning a mega-money deal with the Saudi Arabian outfit until 2025 on Friday evening.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner left Manchester United via mutual consent in November after criticising the club in an interview with Piers Morgan.
It's brought his career in Europe to an end, instead opting to close out his legendary career in Asia. The Saudi Pro League leaders had another global superstar on their radar, according to Marca.
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Al Nassr president Musalli Al-Muammar included Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric on his transfer wish list, with members of the Saudi side's leadership travelling to Spain in recent days.
Modric's current contract expires in the summer, with Real signing Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in recent years to replenish their midfield.
The 37-year-old has already decided he wants to play at the Santiago Bernabeu for one more season. His 'cutting' response to being offered a multi-million deal was: "We'll talk in 2024."
Modric and Ronaldo played together between 2012 and 2018, winning four Champions League titles and La Liga in 2017.
Paris Saint-Germain defender and former Real captain Sergio Ramos is another potential target for Al Nassr, who could hand Ronaldo a first start against Al Ta'ee on Thursday.
The Portugal superstar's decision to move to the Middle East has been criticised by pundits and fans alike, given his strong comments on the topic in previous interviews.
Former United teammate Rio Ferdinand leapt to his defence on a recent episode of Vibe with FIVE. Ferdinand said: "It was great to see David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard go to America.
"What a way to finish their careers, getting great money, going to a league that's not as competitive, they've deserved that, they've earned the right.
"That's all I saw in the media. But because it's Saudi Arabia, it's a disgrace, it's sad. Let a man go and live, let a man go and enjoy it. It's a new adventure he's taking his family to experience a new culture.
"Every single country in the world has issues, so America have got less issues than Saudi, have they? But it's fine for all these players to go to America. Let's let them go to the States and have a swansong year and just toss it off."
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr, Luka Modric
Daniel Marland