Ronaldo’s next Saudi Pro League threat? Champions League winners tipped to reunite

Robin Bairner

• 5 Jul 2023 10:14 BST
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo could soon be joined in the Saudi Pro League by Liverpool legend Sadio Mane, according to football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano.

Ronaldo blazed a trail for leading veteran stars to move to the Saudi Pro League when he joined Al-Nassr following his departure from Manchester United at the end of 2022.

This summer, several top players have left European football to join the Man Utd and Real Madrid great in the Gulf, with Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante and Roberto Firmino among the more prominent players to move to the big-spending league.

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Mane to team up with Firmino at Al-Ahli?

According to Romano, Mane is the next player who could soon depart for the Saudi Pro League.

The 31-year-old has had a difficult time at Bayern Munich since leaving Liverpool for €32 million last summer.

The Senegal international, who retains an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €53m, has both struggled to deliver in terms of his on-field performance, while he also caused controversy off it when he clashed with Leroy Sane – an incident that earned the ex-Southampton man a suspension by the club.

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As a result, Mane’s future at Bayern has been called into question. He has been linked with a move back to the Premier League but the Saudi Pro League has emerged as another option for the player, despite the Bundesliga champions being insistent that he will not depart.

Romano has revealed that Al-Ahli are dreaming of reuniting Mane with former Liverpool team-mate Firmino. Indeed, while it is unclear which Saudi Pro League club will sign the winger – the four major clubs in the league are all owned by the same majority shareholder, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund – the Italian reports that is it Al-Ahli who are “insisting” in recent days.

Mane’s intentions, meanwhile, remain unclear. He may wish to shun Saudi interest to stay at Bayern Munich or pursue an alternative transfer away from the German side.