Ex-Barcelona forward could join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Pro League: Reports
According to Football Insider, former Barcelona forward Philippe Coutinho might be on his way to joining Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League.
Coutinho has also played for European giants like Inter Milan and Liverpool during his career. The Brazilian is currently plying his trade for Premier League club Aston Villa.
The aforementioned report claims that Coutinho might be subject to a mega offer from a Saudi Arabian club. He is currently contracted until the end of the 2025-26 season with the Villans.
He has made 22 appearances for Unai Emery's team this season, scoring only one goal. The 30 year old has previously played 106 games for Barcelona, scoring 25 goals and providing 14 assists. He also spent a spell away on loan to Bayern Munich during his time with the Blaugrana.
Cristiano Ronaldo, much to everyone's surprise, joined Al-Nassr as a free agent after mutually terminating his Manchester United contract in November. The Saudi Pro League has seen unprecedented growth since the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's arrival.
Saudi sports minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faizal even lauded Ronaldo's impact on the league, telling The Athletic:
“I’ll give you an example, just by Ronaldo coming we have 137 channels around the world broadcasting the Saudi league. We wanted that in the beginning but they said they were not interested, but since one player came now it’s all over the world.”
He added:
“There is a possibility to come to a new place and grow the development of sport, and we saw that with Ronaldo coming and how the attraction happened all over the world."
A superstar player like Coutinho's addition to the league could further help it grow beyond boundaries.
Cristiano Ronaldo has taken the Saudi Pro League by storm
Despite being 38, Cristiano Ronaldo still has it in him to leave defenders tormented. After conquering Europe, the Portuguese ace has now proven to be a nightmare for defenders in the Middle East.
He has so far scored nine goals and has provided two assists in 10 games for Al-Nassr since joining the club.
Ronaldo also won the SPL Player of the Month for February award for his spectacular performances. The attacker scored his first free-kick goal in Al-Nassr's most recent match against Abha on March 19.