Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr begin negotiations with Liverpool superstar; new club enters race to sign him: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr are allegedly set to face competition from Al-Ittihad in the transfer race to sign Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk.
According to X account @ByanNassr, Al-Ittihad have joined Al-Nassr in the race to lure Van Dijk away from the Merseyside outfit. Ronaldo's side were the first team to hold talks with the Netherlands captain, who is thought to have given Al-Nassr the green light.
Van Dijk, who turned 33 last month, could decide to leave Liverpool as his contract will expire next June. Should he secure a move to Al-Nassr this summer, he would emerge as a vital first-team starter alongside ex-Manchester City and Athletic Club star Aymeric Laporte.
Since leaving Southampton for £75 million in the winter of 2018, the Dutchman has made 270 appearances across competitions for Liverpool. He has helped them lift eight trophies, registering 23 goals so far.
Al-Nassr, on the other hand, have signed one player this summer. They dished out £15 million to sign Bento from Athletico Paranaense in July.
Ex-Liverpool star offers opinion on Cristiano Ronaldo breaking Saudi Pro League record
In his exclusive column for Caught Offside, former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore shared his two cents on the Saudi Pro League's recent rise in stature. He wrote:
"The Saudis will continue to build it up, but I just think it's all about location and the cultural aspect. They will always get tournaments – like Qatar had the World Cup and Dubai gets the tennis – but people still want to go to Wimbledon, people still want to go to an Olympics in Paris, people still want to go to Wembley Stadium for that football experience or to watch Real Madrid at the Bernabeu."
Opining on Cristiano Ronaldo's exploits last campaign, he continued:
"It's like the [Major League Soccer] MLS and the A-League in Australia was for two or three years, and it's a bit of a top up for the pension. No disrespect to Cristiano Ronaldo, whose 35 goals is a remarkable achievement even if he was doing that at his age in Sunday league football, but I can't see a time where European footballers head to Saudi Arabia to give the best years of their life."
Ronaldo, 39, became the player with most goals in a single Saudi Pro League term last season after scoring 35 goals in 31 league matches last season.
Since joining Al-Nassr on a free transfer in January 2023, the Portugal international has netted 58 goals in just 64 appearances for Al-Nassr.