Cristiano Ronaldo’s Newcastle United ‘clause’ and Eddie Howe’s transfer blueprint

That’s because reports had suggested that a clause has been inserted in Ronaldo’s contract that would potentially allow the Portuguese star to join Newcastle United next season, should the Magpies qualify for the Champions League. Newcastle currently sit in third place in the Premier League but haven’t qualified for European football’s elite competition in two decades.

However, those reports have now been disputed with Marca tweeting: ‘Our information was Cristiano would sign and Cristiano signed by Al Nassr. No info about Newcastle in Cristiano's contract. Cheers.’

Speaking about Ronaldo when Newcastle visited Saudi Arabia for a mid-season training camp during the break for the Qatar World Cup, Eddie Howe said: “At the moment, we have quite an ageing squad, so we probably need to invest in more young players. That's probably a big part of our progression.”