Al-Nassr want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo's former Juventus teammate this summer: Reports
Al-Nassr are reportedly interested in luring Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate Wojciech Szczesny away from Juventus this summer.
Szczesny, 34, has been one of the most indispensable players for Juventus since joining from Arsenal for over €18 million in the summer of 2017. He has proved to be a decent successor to club legend Gianluigi Buffon, helping his club to lift eight trophies so far.
A former Legia Warszawa youth product, Szczesny helped Juventus finish third in the 2023-24 Serie A table with 71 points. He oversaw 15 clean sheets and shipped 30 goals in 35 league games last season.
Now, according to famed transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano, Al-Nassr have started negotiations with Juventus to rope in Szczesny this summer. The Italian giants, on the other hand, are prepared to let go of Ronaldo's former teammate as Torino star Michele Di Gregorio is set to join in a transfer worth around €18 million this month.
Ronaldo's side, who achieved their second straight runners-up finish in the league last season, could offer Szczesny a hefty final payday. The goalkeeper would start almost every game for the Saudi Pro League outfit, who are set to release David Ospina later in June.
Szczesny, whose deal is set to run out in June 2025, has made 252 appearances across competitions for Juventus so far. He has kept 103 shutouts and conceded just 233 goals for the Serie A giants so far.
Graeme Souness compares 32-year-old to Cristiano Ronaldo due to transfer situation
Liverpool great Graeme Souness has asserted that he would not judge Kevin De Bruyne should the Manchester City midfielder move to Saudi Arabia this summer. The 71-year-old said (h/t Yahoo! Sport):
"I was guilty of leaving for money when I left Liverpool. I said I was going to live in Italy because I'd earn a lot more money – I was very honest about that. In the case of Kevin De Bruyne, in the past two years, he's missed something like 39 games and it's closer to 50 over three seasons. That'll only get worse as well with age and with the physicality of the Premier League."
Likening De Bruyne's situation to Cristiano Ronaldo's move, he added:
"I don't hold anything against the likes of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for what they're doing – they've earned their stripes. You look at Messi going to Miami, which is a Latin city and somewhere where his kids and family can grow up and be happy. If De Bruyne were to do the same with Saudi, I wouldn't have any complaints."
De Bruyne, 32, endured an injury-hit season last time around. He missed a total of 28 matches across all competitions for the Cityzens.
With De Bruyne's contract set to expire next June, Manchester City could decide to cash in on the Belgian ahead of the next season.