Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr dealt blow as 27-year-old star rejects chance to join club: Reports

Youssef En-Nesyri has turned down the opportunity to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, according to Sports Field. The Saudi club are looking to bolster their squad this month and are eager to sign the Moroccan striker.

En-Nesyri moved to Fenerbahce last summer from Sevilla in a reported €19.5m deal. He has been in fine form so far, registering 11 goals and three assists from 25 games across competitions.

His efforts have apparently earned him admirers at Al-Nassr. The Riyadh-based club are planning to add more bite to their attack after falling behind in the title race.

Cristiano Ronaldo's team are fourth in the Saudi Pro League table, 11 points behind leaders Al-Ittihad after 13 games. They have now set their sights on En-Nesyri this month, and apparently offered him a contract worth €35m to move to the Middle East.

However, the 27-year-old has reportedly turned them down, as he remains committed to Fenerbahce. En-Nesyri is under contract with the Turkish club until 2029 and has no desire to leave them at the moment.

The news will be a big blow to the Saudi club, and it remains to be seen if they move on to alternate targets for the job. Meanwhile, Al-Nassr are also sweating on the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward is in the final six months of his contract and is yet to sign an extension.

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When did Cristiano Ronaldo join Al-Nassr?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in December 2022 as a free agent, after an unceremonious end to his second tenure with Manchester United. The Portuguese arrived at Old Trafford for the second time in the summer of 2021 from Juventus.

Ronaldo had a public fallout with Erik ten Hag the following year and went on to criticize the Dutch manager in an interview. The Red Devils were unimpressed with his actions and terminated his contract.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to Saudi Arabia and opened the doors of the country to the rest of the world. Multiple modern superstars have followed the 39-year-old's footsteps to move to the Middle East since.

However, Ronaldo's future now remains up in the air, although a renewal cannot be entirely ruled out. Recent reports have suggested that he could have the option to reignite his rivalry with Lionel Messi in the MLS this year. The Portuguese has registered 74 goals and 18 assists from 83 games across competitions for Al-Nassr so far.