Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah could line up next year (Image: Getty)
Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah could be linked up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nasr next season, along with a number of other big names. The Saudi Pro League club has not won a top-flight title since 2019 and has been forced to contend with the recent dominance of Al Hilal and Al Ittihad. They now appear to be pulling out all the stops to secure the crown in the next campaign. Al Nasr already has a talented squad, including Croatian World Cup finalist and Serie A champion Marcelo Brozovic and back-to-back Bundesliga champion French star Kingsley Coman.
Former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, a Premier League and Champions League winner, is also alongside Ronaldo. Meanwhile, former Chelsea forward Joao Félix, who once set a world record, and Iñigo Martínez, who won La Liga glory with Barcelona in 2025, are also among notable figures to have achieved that rank. But they may be looking to take their star-studded team to an even higher level. Express Sport is investigating five players who could join Al Nasr this summer.
mo salah
Salah shocked the football world in March when he announced his intention to leave Liverpool after nine years at the club. The Egyptian is third on the Reds’ all-time goalscoring list and won two Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at Anfield.
Several bids have reportedly been floated to secure his signature, including one from Al Nasr. The Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned club is understood to have expressed a desire to unite with Ronaldo to form a strong attacking partnership and make him the league’s next big signing.
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Nevertheless, other Saudi clubs such as Al Ittihad, Al Hilal, Al Ahly and Al Qadsia are also paying close attention to the striker’s situation. Questions have also been raised about how Salah will fit into Al Nasr’s set-up.
Bernardo Silva
According to Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Yaum, Al Nasr and Al Hilal are locked in a battle to sign Man City’s top player on a free transfer. The Portuguese playmaker joined City in 2017 and has made over 450 appearances, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League under manager Pep Guardiola.
Bernardo Silva will leave City this summer (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The 31-year-old is believed to be a priority target for Ronaldo at Al Nasr, with City allowing him to leave at the end of this season. Silva has been with the Portuguese national team alongside Ronaldo since March 2015.
The attacking midfielder has been linked with a move to Barcelona, Juventus or even an MLS club. However, links with the Saudi Professional League are strong and Al Hilal are thought to be preparing a package worth £75m a season to lure the player away from City in 2023.
Casemiro
Manchester United announced last month that Casemiro would leave the club when his contract expires in June. The midfielder is now facing a move to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after falling down the pecking order under former United manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo, who played alongside Casemiro at Real Madrid, is said to support the move. Inter Miami, co-owned by United icon David Beckham, are also understood to be keen on signing Casemiro.
Casemiro to leave Manchester City this summer (Image: Getty)
Brazilian giants Sao Paulo are also reportedly prepared to offer the player a two-year contract with an option to work for the club after he retires.
However, according to Marca, Ronaldo sees Casemiro as a necessary defensive cornerstone to ensure Al Nasr’s dominance in the Saudi Professional League. The financial proposal being finalized in Riyadh is expected to be virtually comparable to any other bid by Casemiro.
Antonio Rudiger
The German centre-back is nearing the end of his contract at the Santiago Bernabéu in the coming months and is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2026. Rudiger joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2022.
The La Liga and Champions League winner is believed to be coveted by Al Nasr manager. However, there are reports that it is the centre-back’s “priority” to remain at Los Blancos. The Spanish giants are reportedly offering the defender a one-year contract extension, but that could put a damper on any move.
Antonio Rudiger’s stay in Spain appears to be over. (Image: Jose Breton/NurPhoto)
Diogo Costa
Al Nasr are reportedly looking for a new goalkeeper, frustrated with their current options, Brazilian shot-stopper Bent and the injured Raghud Al Najjar. Costa, 26, who won two Primeira Liga titles with Porto, would be an important signing for Al Nasr, with the likes of United and City recently interested in the player.
Ronaldo and his teammates are said to be leading the charge for the goalkeeper, but Costa signed a contract extension with Porto in December 2025 until June 2030, meaning the Saudi side will have to pay a hefty transfer fee to lure Ronaldo away from his current club.
In an interview with O Jogo, Costa also revealed his desire to finish his career in Portugal. He said, “I’m really going to be the most fulfilled man in the world because, as everyone knows, my dream has always been to play here. And now the story continues and I hope there will be many more matches.”
Diogo Costa has been linked with several top teams (Image: Getty Images)
Although the club’s potential squad looks like a figment of a Football Manager’s fantasy, there is reality to the transfer plans they have in the summer.
From the 2024/25 season, SPL clubs will be allowed to register up to 10 non-Saudi players. However, although only 10 players can register, only eight non-Saudi players will be able to take to the pitch or be included in the matchday squad for domestic games.
This means that if Al Nasr really wants to form a super team, compromises will inevitably have to be made.
