The juggernaut continues in the Saudi Pro League after a successful season led by Cristiano Ronaldo. After acquiring a few of the best soccer stars in the world like Neymar, Karim Benzema, and Sadio Mane, the league reportedly aims to repeat it again. Seeking five to six premium signings from Europe in the upcoming summer window, it is spearheaded once again by Al Nassr, who seemed to have set their eyes on Manchester City’s superstar Ederson. The Premier League-winning team has already found an alternative, with manager Pep Guardiola making a decent deal recently.

It appears like Al Nassr is trying hard to compete with Al Hilal next season. One area they would like to improve is their defense, hence the move. According to Caughtoffside, the club in yellow’s camp is ready to hold talks with Manchester City for Ederson, as their current keeper, David Ospina, could make his way out next season. Reports suggest that the Colombian keeper refused to extend his contract, which will expire this month and the two parties have agreed to part ways after a bittersweet season. On the other hand, Guardiola has taken precautions just in case the player makes a choice.

Manchester City handed its’ backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega a year more in his contract, which was supposed to end in 2025. The German goalie will also be available till 2026 and has already proved to be an ideal replacement for Ederson last season. Capitalizing on Ederson’s injuries in the latter part of the 2023–24 season, Ortega earned a starting spot for the Sky Blues and impressed with his goalkeeping skills. However, does that mean Ederson’s exit from City?

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr to face a stiff challenge for Ederson

Despite acquiring former City player Aymeric Laporte last season, signing Ederson could be a heavy task for Al Nassr. The Brazilian still has two years left with the Premier League champions after signing a 5-year contract in 2021. After joining the club in 2017, Ederson won 6 PL titles and Pep Guardiola doesn’t want to let him go until the player wishes to. While there’s no news from Ederson about his intentions, there may be another challenge for the Knights of Najd.

The 2022–23 league champions, Al Ittihad, are also interested in the Brazilian international. If he chooses to land in Jeddah, Ederson will play alongside his national teammate Fabinho who moved there from Liverpool. Meanwhile, Al Nassr’s backline was put to the test last time, conceding 42 goals in the league, which was the highest in the top four teams. Hence, the 30-year-old City star can prove a valuable addition to a negligibly lackluster shield. Nevertheless, it appears that Ronaldo’s team will shoot their shot at Ederson, but whether it will work only time will reveal.