Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, two of soccer’s most prolific forwards, could quickly share a dressing room within the Saudi Professional League. A number of reviews counsel that Ronaldo has urged Al-Nassr to make a significant transfer for Lewandowski as soon as his Barcelona contract expires, a switch that would have a significant ripple impact throughout Europe. However because the Saudi Professional League’s ambitions develop, Manchester United’s plans for his or her summer time rebuild could dangle within the stability.
At 40 years previous, Cristiano Ronaldo stays the heartbeat of Al-Nassr, each on and off the pitch. The Portuguese legend not too long ago signed a profitable two-year extension price round $237 million per yr, a deal that additionally gave him a 15% possession stake within the membership and an more and more influential voice in switch coverage.
In accordance with Fichajes, Ronaldo has instantly requested that the membership signal Robert Lewandowski to kind what he views as a “championship-winning strike partnership.” The veteran ahead, who has already netted 105 objectives in 118 whole appearances since his transfer to Saudi Arabia, is reportedly pushing to carry extra world-class gamers to the Riyadh-based facet as a part of a long-term imaginative and prescient to raise each the crew and the league’s international standing.
“Ronaldo sees Lewandowski as an elite signing who can take Al-Nassr to the subsequent stage,” the Spanish outlet wrote. This may not be the primary time Ronaldo has leveraged his affect to carry expertise from Europe to the Center East. El Nacional notes that he was “key in convincing Inigo Martinez to go away Barcelona for Al-Nassr earlier this yr.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Inigo Martinez
Lewandowski’s unsure Barcelona future
For Robert Lewandowski, time is operating brief at Barcelona. Although the Polish striker has scored over 100 objectives since becoming a member of from Bayern Munich in 2022, accidents and tactical adjustments beneath Hansi Flick have steadily diminished his function.
His present deal runs till June 2026, however reviews point out that the Blaugrana is unlikely to increase his contract on the similar excessive wage stage. With the membership’s monetary constraints and need for a “generational change” in assault, Flick is claimed to help Lewandowski’s eventual departure.
“At Barca, there’s recognition of Lewandowski’s dedication, but additionally an understanding that the crew wants a brand new course,” wrote El Nacional. The Catalan giants are already scouting Dusan Vlahovic and Serhou Guirassy as doable successors. For Lewandowski, who turns 37 subsequent summer time, the selection is evident: stay in Europe — with potential curiosity from Milan and Atletico Madrid — or tackle a brand new problem in Saudi Arabia, probably alongside one in all soccer’s best icons.
The twist: Ronaldo’s transfer might derail United’s plans
And right here lies the twist — Ronaldo’s plan for Lewandowski might break Manchester United’s summer time ambitions. In accordance with reviews in England, United has additionally been monitoring Lewandowski’s state of affairs intently, hoping to signal him as a free agent to mentor rising star Benjamin Sesko and supply depth for supervisor Rúben Amorim’s attacking system.
The Pink Devils’ technique was easy: provide Lewandowski a short-term Premier League journey he as soon as dreamed of. The Polish ahead himself confirmed in a 2023 interview with BBC Sport that he had beforehand agreed to affix Sir Alex Ferguson’s United throughout his Borussia Dortmund days.
However now, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s affect — backed by Saudi Arabia’s large monetary energy — might flip Lewandowski’s head. Studies declare the Riyadh facet is ready to provide an astronomical wage package deal and the possibility to associate with Ronaldo in one in all soccer’s most marketable duos.
