"More excuses came from their side" - David Hancko reveals how his move to join Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr broke down

New Atletico Madrid defender David Hancko has revealed that he started training with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr before calling off the move. The 27-year-old claims that the Saudi Pro League side dragged the final stage of the move, forcing him to reconsider the decision to join them.

Speaking to Flash Score, Hancko said that Al-Nassr had a deal in place with Feyenoord when he joined Jorge Jesus' training camp. However, the Saudi club kept him away from final discussions, alerting him that something was not pointing in the right direction.

He added that a decision to contact Atletico Madrid was made after talking with his agent, and the Spanish giants agreed a deal with Feyenoord. He said:

"Everything was already agreed between the clubs and with us. I joined the (Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr) team at a training camp, and then things started to drag on. It felt strange; they were communicating with my agent and didn’t want me to come personally. That’s when I sensed things weren’t moving in the right direction. More excuses came from their side."

"My agent had built a good relationship with Atletico’s sporting director. We let them know the situation, that things weren’t progressing smoothly and that if Atletico worked out a deal with Feyenoord, we were ready to fly immediately. That sparked a reaction with them and it was all sorted within a day and a half."

Hancko was delighted with Atletico Madrid pushing to sign him and continued:

"They really wanted to sign me and did everything we’d hoped they would - last year, in winter, or this summer. In the end, they managed it within a day and a half. I always felt I wanted to stay in Europe, and I believe fate played a role, that it was meant to happen this way."

"Even though the whole week wasn’t easy, I lost about three kilos because I slept little and spent most of the time in the hotel lobby, just sitting, waiting, and trying to keep everything in perspective. My wife Kristýnka was a huge support, helping me through it, and I kept reminding myself that in the end, it’s “just” football, even though it affected family life by deciding where and how we’d live."

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr signed Inigo Martinez days after the Hancko deal fell through. The Barcelona star joined on a free transfer after activating a clause in his contract.

Inigo Martinez admits contract offer made him join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr

Inigo Martinez spoke to Onda Vasca this week and admitted that the financial offer was the main reason he chose Al-Nassr. The defender claimed that the discussion with Hansi Flick was brief and said:

"On a financial level, you can't compare that league with any of the others these days."

Martinez's decision to make the switch to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr has helped Barcelona save €14 million in wages. The move has brought them closer to LaLiga's 1:1 rule, but they need to get within the limit before registering Marcus Rashford, who has joined on loan from Manchester United.