Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr dealt blow as key Saudi star expresses desire to leave club this summer: Reports

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr teammate Abdulelah Al-Amri has reportedly expressed his desire to leave the club this summer. The 28-year-old defender is contracted to the club until 2028, but is keen to move elsewhere.

Al-Amri, a product of Al-Nassr's youth academy, made his professional debut with the club in 2017. A year later, he was loaned out to Al-Wehda to get more playing time and experience. The Saudi Arabian star returned to Al-Nassr after the season-long loan spell, establishing himself as a regular towards the second half of the 2019-20 season and beyond.

However, Al Amri fell down the pecking order at the start of the 2024-25 season, which prompted a loan move to rival side, Al-Ittihad. The centre-back's stint with the reigning SPL champions was marred by injuries. He was limited to just 20 appearances in the league and a sole outing in the King's Cup.

Al-Ittihad opted not to sign Al-Amri permanently, and he returned to the Cristiano Ronaldo-led side at the end of the loan deal. According to journalist @a_altammimi11 on X (via Al Nassr Zone), Al Amri is now eager to end his eight-year stay with the Riyadh-based club. Al-Nassr are aware of his decision and has requested that the defender present suitable offers for consideration.

Al-Amri has featured 129 times for the Knights of Njad, scoring nine goals and providing six assists. He has shared the pitch 41 times with Cristiano Ronaldo, and they have no joint-goal contribution.

Cristiano Ronaldo propels Al-Nassr to victory in his first match under new manager

Cristiano Ronaldo was on target for Al-Nassr in his first match under new manager Jorge Jesus. The 40-year-old returned for pre-season and was named in the starting XI, which faced French side Toulouse in a friendly on Wednesday, July 30.

With his side 1-0 down, Ronaldo fired home the equalizer in the 33rd minute. Mohamamed Moran scored again in the second half to give Jorge Jesus' side a 2-1 victory in their second pre-season match.

The Knights of Najd had earlier defeated the Austrian side SK St. Johann 5-2, a game in which they played without Ronaldo. They will play another friendly against Spanish side Almeria on August 10, before their season opener in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final versus Al-Ittihad nine days later.

Ronaldo will be hoping to guide Al-Nassr to a major trophy this season. They failed to qualify for the 2025 AFC Champions League and will focus on competing strongly in the SPL, Saudi Super Cup, and King's Cup.

Edited by Aditya Singh