Riyadh’s Al-Nassr are facing a financial reckoning that reaches beyond a difficult spell on the pitch, with the club reported to be carrying debts of 800 million Saudi riyals as its leadership examines routes towards a broader restructuring.
Key takeaways
- Al-Nassr’s reported debt stands at 800 million riyals.
- Financial decisions made during last season are said to have triggered scrutiny from supervisory bodies.
- RedBird Capital has reportedly held early discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund over buying 70% of the club.
- A potential 70% sale could be worth up to one billion riyals, enough to address the current liabilities.
- Mohammed Al-Khuraiji and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been mentioned among possible investment avenues.
A sale under discussion in Riyadh
The most substantial proposal on the table would involve RedBird Capital, the investment group with control of AC Milan, taking a 70% stake in Al-Nassr. Talks with the Saudi Public Investment Fund are understood to be at an exploratory stage, with no completed agreement in place.
Any transaction could reach one billion riyals. Such a figure would provide Al-Nassr with the means to clear its reported debt, although the club’s long-term recovery would still depend on tighter financial management after the immediate shortfall has been addressed.
Walid Al-Faraj has linked the scale of the debt chiefly to mistaken financial choices taken last season. Those decisions have reportedly brought intervention from the relevant oversight authorities, adding urgency to the search for a solution.
Investors and Ronaldo’s possible role
Al-Nassr are also considering other paths. Businessman Mohammed Al-Khuraiji could join an investment consortium alongside additional partners, offering an alternative to a majority stake being sold to RedBird.
The scenario attracting the greatest attention, however, concerns Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward could potentially move from being solely the club’s defining player to holding an ownership share and taking a place in its commercial future.
There is no final outcome yet, but the scale of the reported liabilities makes clear that this is not viewed as a brief disruption. Whether Al-Nassr bring in RedBird, another investor group or Ronaldo as a shareholder, the task will be the same: restore financial stability at one of Saudi football’s most prominent clubs.
