'Incredible U-turn' in Man Utd transfer saga

Tom Weber

• 22 Jul 2023 15:41 BST
• 3 min read

The Alex Telles transfer saga is nearing its conclusion after yet another twist.

The Brazilian's stint at Manchester United is over. This has been known for a long time, but his departure has dragged on longer than anticipated. Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr had been in talks with United and Telles for a while and everything appeared to be proceeding smoothly.

The two sides had settled on a transfer fee, believed to be in the region of around £4 million (€4.6m) and a salary for the player of £7m per season. But then Al-Nassr began having second thoughts.

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Whether this was due to the transfer embargo FIFA placed them under due to the unpaid bonuses they still owed to Leicester City for Ahmed Musa or for some other reason is not clear, but the Saudi giants began exploring the domestic market for a left-back solution.

This cast major doubt on Telles' move and represented an 'incredible U-turn' in the words of journalist Rudy Galetti. Now, however, another twist has appeared in the saga and Al-Nassr are ready to press ahead with the deal.

Telles flying to Japan

According to Fabrizio Romano, the Telles signing is ready to be wrapped up despite the short period of uncertainty. Medical tests have been completed and Telles has already travelled with Al-Nassr's squad to Japan for their pre-season tour.

The Saudi side's preparations for the new campaign have thus far not gone to plan. A 5-0 beatdown at the hands of Celta Vigo and a 4-1 loss to Benfica have dealt a blow to the optimism about the Saudi Pro League's ability to challenge established European sides and Al-Nassr's chances of challenging for the title next season.

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Alex Telles will link up with Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic, Talisca, David Ospina, Seko Fofana and potentially Sadio Mane in Riyadh.