Manchester United are exploring a potential mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia to raise funds while without European football this season, per reports. United are considering their options to bring in some revenue and given their free midweeks thanks to not having Champions League, Europa League or Conference League football to play, have the ability to jet abroad for a lucrative exhibition fixture in the middle of the season.

And their talks with stakeholders about a possible match in the Middle East raises the possibility of a reunion with club legend Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese icon still plays for Al-Nassr having joined them from United in December 2022. But he was part of a Saudi Pro League XI who faced Paris Saint-Germain, who then had Lionel Messi on their books, a month later in January 2023 in a mid-season friendly.

The Athletic say there is no guarantee a game will indeed take place because talks are still at an early stage. But given that the Riyadh Season runs from October to March, it is likely Saudi decision-makers would welcome the spectacle of hosting a club the size of United.

United are currently looking into potential dates and possible opponents but will need to stay in contact with the Premier League about any proposed friendlies. The league's rules state that in-season exhibitions cannot be arranged until league match dates have been finalised.

It is a surprise move for the Red Devils but they have racked up debts of £750million and have had to oversee several cost-cutting measures since INEOS took control of the club's footballing operations. Failing to qualify for Europe means United missed out on the opportunity to make a further £85m in revenue this season.

Discussing United's financial issues back in March, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: "If you think about Manchester United as a business, it's gone off the rails. It's gone off the rails a long way, really.

"If you look at the numbers, the numbers were fairly scary, really. Because they'd sort of lost control, I think, of where the ship was headed. And the costs had got out of control.

"If you think of it in really simple terms, you've got the operating costs, which are all the staff and the fixed costs of running the business. And then you've got all the squad costs, player salaries and player purchases.

"In super-simple terms, the club has been spending more money than it's been earning now for the last seven years, and it ends in a very difficult place. And for Manchester United, that place ended at the end of this year, the end of 2025, with the club running out of cash."

A mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia would also offer United the chance to enjoy a warm-weather training camp while temperatures cool back home in Manchester. The Red Devils have started the season badly with just two wins from seven games across all competitions and the pressure is on manager Ruben Amorim to turn things around.