Cristiano Ronaldo suffers major blow as 'scandalous' Al Nassr pull plug on record transfer at the last minute

Al Nassr's turbulent summer has continued with the collapse of a major transfer at the last minute amid accusations they have acted in a 'scandalous' manner.

The Saudi Pro League (SPL) side looked to lose Cristiano Ronaldo at the start of the summer, only for the Portuguese icon to later commit to a new contract having flirted with a transfer to play in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Manager Stefano Pioli was then replaced after less than a year as he moved to Fiorentina, with former Benfica, Sporting and Al Hilal boss Jorge Jesus replacing him last week.

Al Nassr finished third in the SPL last season, extending their wait for a first league title since 2019. Ronaldo ended the campaign as top scorer for the second year running, however now a proposed transfer has fallen through to further complicate their pre-season preparations.

Cristiano Ronaldo will remain at Al Nassr after signing a new contract. (Image: Getty)

Al Nassr were planning to sign Feyenoord left-back David Hancko and had reportedly finalised a deal to sign the Slovakian last month. However, Pioli's departure put the brakes on the move before talks resumed following Jesus' appointment.

According to Voetbal International, Feyenoord had linked up replacements for Hancko, but instead he will join back up with his teammates at their pre-season training camp rather than move to Al Nassr. The transfer would have seen Feyenoord receive a club record fee for the 27-year-old of around €40m.

And in quotes relayed by Algemeen Dagblad, Feyenoord have been left furious with Al Nassr over the latest failure to get the deal done, with board spokesperson Raymond Salomon calling the Saudi club's actions 'scandalous'.

David Hancko was set to join Al Nassr but will remain at Feyenoord. (Image: Getty)

"The way the club is treating its players is scandalous. This is especially unbelievable with regard to David Hancko. This is rarely, if ever, seen before," he is quoted as saying.

"A long time ago, Al-Nassr sent a proposal, which Feyenoord accepted.

"The player then reached an agreement and signed a contract. Hancko then traveled to Al-Nassr's training camp, where it turned out the deal had been put on hold and then called off."

It seems the transfer has been cancelled for good after a summer of back-and-forth, with Hancko now set to remain at Feyenoord and Al Nassr move on to other transfer targets.