Sadio Mané set to join Al Nassr one year after Cristiano Ronaldo chat

Mané is set to become the latest player to join Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia

According to The Athletic, Mané has held talks with the Saudi Pro League side's sporting director Goran Vucevic in Portugal about a potential switch.

Mané is almost certain to depart Bayern Munich after an underwhelming 12 months following his move from Liverpool in the summer window of 2022.

Despite joining for £35m, the Senegal international scored seven goals in 25 appearances but found himself on the bench towards the latter stages of the season following an altercation with teammate Leroy Sané which left the former Manchester City star with a bust upper lip.

Al Nassr meanwhile have been busy adding to their ranks this summer. After signing Cristiano Ronaldo in January, they have also managed to bring in Marcelo Brozovic of Inter Milan and most recently Seko Fofana from Lens.

Ronaldo's presence at Al Nassr is allegedly a contributing factor behind Mané's arrival, with the two meeting on holiday last summer where Ronaldo convinced the 31-year-old to make the move to Bayern.

I met Cristiano Ronaldo in Mallorca before this season after my move was completed," Mané told German newspaper Bild. "He congratulated me and told me, 'A great club! This is a great step for you!'"

A number of other big-name players have made the move to the Kingdom. The likes of Karim Benzema, Rúben Neves, N'Golo Kanté and more have all left top five leagues for Saudi.

More are also set to follow with Jordan Henderson and Riyad Mahrez said to be on the verge of completing moves.

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• Al-Nassr banned by FIFA from registering players following Premier League transfer