Al-Nassr identify Moroccan star as a potential long-term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo: Reports

Al-Nassr have reportedly identified Fenerbahce striker Youssef En-Nesyri as a long-term replacement for superstar player Cristiano Ronaldo. The news seems fairly reasonable, given the Portugal international is now 39 years old and has entered the final year of his deal in Saudi Arabia.

This report comes from the X handle @NFC1World who claims that the Riyadh-based side have already taken significant steps towards completing this deal. As things stand, the Morroco international is close to joining Ronaldo and Co. in the Saudi Pro League.

This is also fairly interesting, given that En-Nesyri is contracted with his Turkish employers till the summer of 2029. He joined his current team only in the previous transfer window from Sevilla for a reported fee of €19.5 million.

Another significant factor in signing the former La Liga striker is his age. En-Nesyri is only 27 years old and seemingly has a fair bit of his footballing career ahead of him.

However, he will have some big shoes to fill if he is to join Al-Nassr and act as Ronaldo's replacement in the future. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker joined the club in January 2023 after having his agreement mutually terminated at Old Trafford.

Since then, he's had a significant impact on football in the country. The likes of Karim Benzema, Neymar, and N'Golo Kante, among many other top players from Europe, made the move to the Middle East.

Overall, Ronaldo has played 79 matches across competitions for Al-Nassr to date, bagging 68 goals and 18 assists.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate responds to Real Madrid rumors

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo could be losing his Al-Nassr teammate Aymeric Laporte to Real Madrid in the January transfer window. The Spain international has been linked to Los Blancos amid a centre-back crisis at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Carlo Ancelotti and Co. will be without Eder Militao for an extended period while David Alaba continues to recover from injury. When asked about a move to the Spanish capital, Laporte told El Larguero (via GOAL):

"I'm not really up to date, I've read the same thing as you. There's no problem. It sounds good. Obviously, teams like Real Madrid aren't being looked down upon."

In the same interview, the former Manchester City defender also said he would love to return to Spain once his contract at Al-Nassr expires in 2026. Real Madrid can count on Laporte if they are to pursue him, given the latter has made 161 La Liga appearances.