Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are edging closer to signing Brazilian left-back Alex Telles from Manchester United, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Al-Nassr kickstarted Saudi Arabia’s spending spree in Europe by roping in Cristiano Ronaldo on a free transfer in December. They made the Portuguese icon the highest-paid player in the world (€200 million a year) to lure him to the middle east.
The Riyadh-based club hope to use Ronaldo‘s presence and their spending power to lure more big-name players to Mrsool Park. They have already signed Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan for €18 million. Al-Aalami have also hired former FC Porto boss Luis Castro as their new manager.
Al-Nassr are closing in on making another major addition to their squad. According to the aforementioned source, they have reached a verbal agreement with Manchester United to sign Alex Telles. The left-back, as well as RC Lens’ Sefo Fofana, is expected to finalize a move to Saudi Arabia once the paperwork goes through.
“Al-Nassr are closing in on deal to sign Alex Telles from Man United, here we go soon!” Romano tweeted. “There’s verbal agreement now in place between the two clubs, waiting for the documents/check details. Al-Nassr want both Seko Fofana and Telles to join in the next days.”
It’s unclear how much money Manchester United will pocket from Telles’ move to Al-Nassr. The Red Devils are unlikely to receive a significant amount as the Brazil international is in the final 12 months of his deal at Old Trafford.
Telles, 30, joined the Premier League giants from Porto for a deal worth €17 million in 2020. He has made 50 appearances across competitions for the club, bagging one goal and eight assists. The full-back also played 21 games with Al-Nassr captain Ronaldo during their time together in Manchester.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United in November
Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United in 2021, returning to the club 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid. He picked up right where he left off, bagging 24 goals and three assists in 38 games across competitions in the 2021-22 season. The superstar was named the club’s player of the season that campaign.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner fell down the pecking order after Erik ten Hag took the reins at United ahead of the 2022-23 season. He was restricted to just four starts in the Premier League last term. Frustrated with his situation, the forward launched a scathing attack on the manager in an interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan.
The interview led to Manchester United terminating Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent. He thus went into the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a free agent. After weeks of speculation, the former Juventus superstar joined Al-Nassr.
