With Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool icon Sadio Mane spearheading the attack and role players like Alex Telles and Marcelo Brozovic surrounding them, Al-Nassr have ambitions of dominating the Saudi Pro League but still sit behind Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad in the table.
Here are five players Al-Nassr could try to sign in the coming January transfer window to pre-arranged future deals – or to immediate winter transfers – in order to become an even bigger power in Saudi Arabia.
Manchester City AM Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne has been increasingly linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League over the past couple of years, and even though he remains the premier playmaker in the Premier League, 2025 could be the year the Manchester City midfielder makes his move elsewhere.
Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo and KDB finally linking up, the best goal-scorer and the best playmaker of the combined 2010s and 2020s on the same team with Anderson Talisca and Liverpool legend Sadio Mane rounding out the high-octane attack.
De Bruyne doesn’t strike me as the kind of player who would want to leave the pinnacle of football in the Premier League and Champions League for the Saudi Pro League, but I’m sure nobody thought Cristiano and Mane would end up in Saudi Arabia either.
Money talks for all players, and Saudi Arabia can offer De Bruyne a final payday he can’t refuse while allowing him to fully enjoy a full focus on football while being Cristiano’s most talented chance-feeder since Mesut Ozil in Madrid.
Manchester City CM Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic actually has experience playing with Cristiano Ronaldo as a key rotational player during the Real Madrid three-peat era before later moving to Chelsea and winning a Champions League title there, too.
Now at Manchester City, Kovacic is still chasing Champions League titles as an important player at an elite club, and he did win his first Premier League title with the Citizens in 2023/24.
But Kovacic could be on his way out the door of the Etihad. At the age of 30, Kovacic may be looking for one last payday, and the Croatian international looks like the latest player Cristiano Ronaldo is recruiting hard to join him at Al-Nassr.
One of the best ball-carriers and most press-resistant midfielder of his generation, Kovacic is an ideal No. 8 who is still in the final window of his prime. He could make massive wages at Al-Nassr and get to run it back with Cristiano one last time.
PSG CB Milan Skriniar
Milan Skriniar was one of the best and most in-demand center backs on the transfer market at Inter Milan, beloved by the fans of one of Italian football’s finest clubs.
But instead of helping Inter pursue Champions League glory, Skriniar decided to do the same at PSG because they were going to pay him a lot more money. Skriniar has been woeful since leaving for Paris, looking like a shell of the world-class center back he was for Inter.
Therefore, Skriniar could be headed for the Saudi Pro League despite being in his prime as a center back at the age of 29. He can make a huge payday in Saudi Arabia, play with superstars, and not have to deal with as much pressure as at a top European club.
Manchester United DM Casemiro
Casemiro was beyond woeful in the 2023/24 season for Manchester United, as his play completely fell of a cliff after a strong opening season for the Red Devils in 2022/23, when he was an important starter and leader for the Premier League side.
But last season, Casemiro looked downright lost on the ball and in defense, several steps too slow for the more athletic Premier League opposition while making even more head-scratching errors as a passer.
Casemiro was a serial Champions League winner for Real Madrid, the missing piece in the three-peat era with Cristiano Ronaldo before later winning a title without CR7 for Real in the 2021/22 season before joining Manchester United.
Cristiano, as with Kovacic, has been pushing hard for the Brazilian international to join Al-Nassr to wind down his career. With Manchester United bringing in the talented Manuel Ugarte to pair with Kobbie Mainoo in a young defensive midfielder, Casemiro clearly has no future at Old Trafford.
Al-Nassr could be an ideal way for Casemiro to finish his career, make even more money before retirement, and pursue more league titles with his old buddy Cristiano.
Manchester City GK Ederson
Ederson didn’t leave Manchester City this past summer, as cooler heads prevailed after rumors circulated that the Brazilian goalkeeper did not feel appreciated at the Etihad due to the bubbling presence of talented backup shot-stopper Stefan Ortega.
Unsurprisingly, Ederson steadfastly denied those transfer rumors, but since the keeper is 31 years old now and hasn’t saved 72 percent of his shots since the 2020/21 season, Manchester City may quietly indeed be interested in moving on from the talented ball-playing goalie.
If that’s the case, Ederson could be headed to the Saudi Pro League, since no other top clubs would then want him as a starter if he is axed by Man City, unless he took a paycut.
But Al-Nassr could give him a raise and a chance to play with some top stars like Cristiano Ronaldo or even Man City teammates Mateo Kovacic and Kevin De Bruyne if they were to make the highly-paid leap to Saudi Arabia themselves.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.