Is Sadio Mane leaving Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr? Ex-Liverpool star's agent gives an update on his future
Sadio Mane's agent Bjorn Bezemer has refuted claims that his client is set to leave Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr this summer. The former Liverpool forward has been linked with an exit despite having two years left on his contract.
However, Bezemer has quashed suggestions Mane is considering a move away from Al-Awwal Park. He told transfer expert Fabrizio Romano:
"I did not have any meeting with clubs regarding Sadio. He is preparing the season with Al Nassr and has absolutely no intention to leave. His club is extremely happy with him."
Sadio Mane, 32, joined Al-Nassr from Bayern Munich last summer for €30 million. He enjoyed a fruitful debut season in the Saudi Pro League with 19 goals and 11 assists in 46 games across competitions.
Recent rumors suggested that Mane was considering returning to his former club, RB Salzburg. A Sky Sport Germany correspondent, Florian Plettenberg, shot that rumor down by claiming that links to the Austrian outfit were 'wide of the mark'. The Senegalese attacker has two years left on his contract with the Saudi Pro League giants.
Mane is arguably the biggest superstar to have joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr. They forged a fine bond and partnership on and off the pitch last season and look set to continue together in the 2024-25 campaign.
Sadio Mane backed Cristiano Ronaldo's defense of the Saudi Pro League
The Saudi Pro League has come under scrutiny since high-profile names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema, and Neymar have headed to the Middle East. Many fans have questioned how challenging performing in the Saudi top flight is.
Mane defended the Saudi Pro League by insisting it was a very good league. He also alluded to its growing fanfare (via Essentially Sports):
"Fortunately, I can say the Saudi league is a very good league, and watched by everybody in the world."
Those comments came just months after Cristiano Ronaldo had caused controversy. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner suggested the Saudi Pro League was more competitive than the French Ligue 1 (via the source above):
"To be honest, I think the Saudi League is not worse than the French League, in my opinion. In [the] French league I think you have two, three teams with a good level. In Saudi, now I think it’s more competitive. But I think right now we are better than [the] French league, we still improve."
Ronaldo has been prolific since arriving in Saudi in January 2023. He's registered 58 goals and 15 assists in 64 games for Al-Nassr. That said, he's yet to win a major trophy, missing out on the title to Al-Hilal last season, who finished unbeaten with 31 wins in 34 games.