The Saudi Pro League has identified Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah as potential ambassadors for the league, as plans are considered to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.
Discussions are reportedly ongoing over the possibility of Ronaldo’s departure from his current club.
Ronaldo, now 41, has been the league’s most high-profile star since joining the Kingdom in December 2022 on a free transfer, following more than 20 years of top-level football in Europe with four different clubs.
In 2025, Ronaldo signed a big and profitable new contract with Al-Nassr until the next summer.
Because of his comment about the club owners PIF not supporting the team enough during the recent transfer window compared to other clubs, Ronaldo might leave this summer.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has a £43 million clause in his new contract that will become active at the end of the season.
In case he uses that option, a source from the Saudi league told The i Paper, as reported by Sport Bible, that Salah or Fernandes would be great choices for the league:
“Salah and Fernandes would be ideal choices, especially Salah, because he would draw in an Arab audience as a Muslim.
“Either of those newcomers, plus that young talent, would be really big for us.”
Ronaldo did not play in the Knights of Najd’s 1-0 victory in the Saudi Pro League against Al-Riyadh on Monday, and also missed the 2-0 home win against Al-Ittihad on Friday, which has led to doubts about his place in the team.
Both players are key figures for their respective clubs. Salah has been with Liverpool since the summer of 2017 and has scored more than 250 goals across all competitions.
Fernandes, the captain of Manchester United, has been at Old Trafford since January 2020 and has scored over 100 goals for the club
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