Al-Hilal president Fahad ben Nafel has revealed the reason why they failed to sign Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer.
"Yes, we held talks with Ronaldo. The problem was not money or principles, Al-Hilal can invite world stars, but it was the decision of the sports arbitration center that banned us from registering new players. "We have not stopped negotiations with the players, despite the decision on the ban, but we have postponed their exit to the final stage until the ban is lifted," the club's president was quoted as saying by Goal.
It was previously reported that Al Hilal were ready to offer Ronaldo a move away from England, but a four-month transfer ban prevented that from happening. Half a year before the end of his contract with Al-Hilal, midfielder Mohamed Kanno signed a preliminary contract with another Saudi Arabian club, Al-Nassr, but later decided to return to Al-Hilal. As a result, he had contracts with two clubs.