Cristiano Ronaldo to be joined at Al-Nassr by Premier League star

Robin Bairner

• 17 Jun 2023 13:34 BST
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are closing in on their next big-name signing, with Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech close to joining the Saudi Pro League club.

Ronaldo started an exodus of stars to the Gulf state in 2022, when he left Manchester United as a free agent and joined Al-Nassr a matter of weeks later.

Since then, Karim Benzema has joined Al-Ittihad, where Chelsea star N’Golo Kante is headed when his Stamford Bridge contract expires.

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Ziyech, meanwhile, is eager to end a difficult period with Chelsea, where he has often been peripheral by joining Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, FootMercato reports. The 30-year-old former Ajax winger is set to receive what is described as a “big contract” with an “extra, extra-large salary”.

Under contract until 2025, the Saudi Pro League club are likely to have to pay a fee for the Morocco star, who played a leading role as his country made a shock run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

He has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €18.5 million, which Chelsea could use to ease their Financial Fair Play concerns.

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Ziyech’s difficult season

Following the World Cup, Ziyech appeared on the verge of signing for PSG on Transfer Deadline Day in January, but in one of the stories of the day, Chelsea made a string of administrative blunders that saw Ziyech embarrassingly stranded in the Parc des Princes side’s offices.

It was a turn of events that frustrated Ziyech, who would rarely be given a chance at the end of a catastrophic season with Chelsea, despite the fact that the Stamford Bridge side were ailing offensively.

Eager to leave Chelsea, Ziyech is set to be given his chance by Ronaldo’s side, who will be able to offer him one last big wage as well as the opportunity to be a figurehead for the ambitious Saudi Pro League in the immediate future.