“This deal will be announced in the coming days” – Ex-Saudi official believes Cristiano Ronaldo is set to join Al-Nassr rivals ahead of Club World Cup

Former Al-Batin president Nasser Al-Huwaidi has revealed that Al-Nassr ace Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of joining their Saudi Pro League rivals, Al-Hilal. The deal is expected to be officially announced in the coming days, which would allow Ronaldo to feature in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to become a free agent upon the expiration of his current deal with Al-Nassr at the end of June. Therefore, the 40-year-old could potentially join any club on a short-term deal to feature in the FIFA Club World Cup. He has been linked with Wydad Casablanca, Palmeiras, Botafogo, and Al-Hilal in recent weeks.

However, it appears as if the latter have won the race to acquire Ronaldo’s signature as Al-Huwaidi recently stated (via Kooora):

He added:

Al-Nassr have struggled in recent years and are yet to win an official trophy since Cristiano Ronaldo joined the club in January 2023. Moreover, they have fallen short of Al-Hilal as well, with the latter winning three trophies in the same period, including the 2023-24 Saudi Pro League title.

Cristiano Ronaldo could potentially find success with Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup. The competition is set to take place between June 14 and July 13 in the United States.

Despite operating at a high level, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to finish the season trophyless. Al-Nassr were unable to win the league title, AFC Champions League, the King Cup of Champions, or the Saudi Super Cup, falling short to their SPL rivals.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 34 goals and provided four assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Al-Nassr this season. He is also expected to win the Golden Boot, having garnered 24 league goals in 29 fixtures, two goals ahead of Ivan Toney.

However, the Portugal icon’s feats haven’t translated into success for the Knights of Najd. They are currently fourth in the SPL standings with 67 points, 13 behind the champions Al-Ittihad, and have failed to qualify for next season’s AFC Champions League.

Silas Sud

Silas has been a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda for 2 years. A Computer Applications graduate, he is a versatile writer who conducts in-depth research and verifies information from multiple sources to ensure complete accuracy in his articles. Silas was introduced to the beautiful game back in 2008, watching the Premier League on television.

Silas is a Liverpool supporter through and through and admires everything about the club – it’s history, culture, style of play, and all of its iconic players and managers. His favorite player is Steven Gerrard, who was also one of the primary reasons to get interested in football and support Liverpool.

Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Jurgen Klopp, who transformed the Reds from a mid-table club to Premier League champions. Liverpool’s fourth goal in their 4-0 win over Barcelona, scored by Divock Origi after the iconic ‘corner taken quickly’ moment from Trent Alexander-Arnold, holds a special place in Silas’ heart.

Apart from Europe’s top five leagues, he also follows Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League. When not writing, he indulges in reading, traveling, fitness and gaming.

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