Chelsea
Premier League • England
Chelsea winger ‘seriously considering’ huge Cristiano Ronaldo link up at Al Nassr after European suitors drop all interest
A Chelsea attacker is currently deciding whether to sign for Al Nassr, in a move which would see him play alongside former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Al Nassr caused a stir in December last year by announcing the arrival of Ronaldo on a two-and-a-half-year contract. That came after Ronaldo had mutually agreed a contract termination with Man Utd.
Saudi Arabia are trying to make their top flight, the Saudi Pro League, one of the top 10 leagues in the world and are therefore attempting to take some more big names over to the Middle East. They can afford such players due to the massive wealth available to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which recently bought four of the biggest clubs in the country.
Fellow Madrid legend Karim Benzema has followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia by signing for Al Ittihad.
N’Golo Kante, Mauro Icardi, Riyad Mahrez and Edin Dzeko are just some of the other players who might head to the Saudi Pro League over the coming weeks and months.
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech can also be added to that list. The 30-year-old was hoping to join Paris Saint-Germain on January’s transfer deadline day, only for the move to fall through. PSG accused Chelsea of sending incorrect paperwork on three separate occasions before the deadline.
Ziyech remains intent on leaving Chelsea as he does not believe he will get enough game time if he stays there. Several reports have suggested he could go back to Ajax, where he played between 2016 and 2020.
But on June 10, respected Dutch journalist Mike Verweij revealed how it will be ‘very difficult’ for Ajax to re-sign the Moroccan without causing controversy. That is because Ziyech recently travelled to Russia to party with former Ajax team-mate Quincy Promes.
Hakim Ziyech no longer wanted by Ajax
There are two reasons why this trip is being viewed as problematic. The first is Russia’s war on Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February last year. Secondly, Promes was recently charged over allegedly smuggling drugs into the Netherlands and Belgium.
Rather than going back to Ajax, Ziyech could now sign for Al Nassr. French source Foot Mercato broke the news on Friday, revealing that Al Nassr have offered him a massive contract.
They added that Ziyech is ‘seriously considering’ the proposal.
Fabrizio Romano has now picked up the story and given credit to Foot Mercato on his Twitter feed. The journalist states that Al Nassr have reached an ‘advanced’ stage of talks with the player’s camp.
Should the two parties reach an agreement over personal terms, then Al Nassr will send an offer to Chelsea. The West London side are ‘expecting’ a bid to arrive in the coming days and weeks.
Romano also reveals that Ziyech’s team-mate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to be the subject of offers from Saudi Arabian clubs in the near future.