The international break starts next week, and many players are off to join their national teams. Cristiano Ronaldo has left the Al Nassr camp to join Portugal for their upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers. His teammates, Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic, will also head to their countries to join their national teams. But, amidst the break, one of his teammates and an Ivory Coast international will likely stay back to complete his move to a rival club.
Mane will be joining Senegal for their upcoming AFCON qualifiers. Otavio will also join his club and country teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Al Nassr will look to sort out the situation with the Ivory Coast left-back as soon as possible.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s teammate is looking to switch allegiance
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Ghislain Konan joined Al Nassr in last year’s transfer window. The left-back has played 31 matches for the club but remains out of favor after the signing of Alex Telles from Manchester United. AFC Champions League regulations permit teams to include six foreign players, with the requirement that at least one of them must be of Asian origin. Keeping this rule in focus, the Ivory Coast international seems likely to face the axe.
اتفقت إدارة نادي #الفيحاء مع إدارة نادي #النصر على شراء المدة المتبقية من عقد الظهير الايسر كونان@alialqahtani89 https://t.co/sAXWgJL2nS
— رياضة سكوب (@RiyadahScoop) September 2, 2023
Many clubs are monitoring the situation surrounding the $8,638,000-rated player, but Al Fayha is the closest to making the deal. There were rumors of Anderson Talisca leaving the club, but he now seems to be a part of Luis Castro’s plans. The Brazilian international cleared up the rumors as he explained “You Al-Nassr fans, you who love this club, stop supporting it, fake news. I renewed until 2026. There’s no reason for me to leave the club. The club has no intention of leaving me.”
Luis Castro’s squad is now looking more complete with the arrival of Aymeric Laporte and Otavio. With players heading to their national teams, the manager will have more time to focus on some players and build up some new tactics. Let’s take a look at the upcoming international break fixtures for the Al Nassr players.
Heading for the international break
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic, and Otavio have been called up by their national teams. Cristiano Ronaldo and Otavio will be heading to Tehelne Pole for their first match against Slovakia, after which they will face Luxembourg at home. Portugal has won all of their group matches and stands comfortably at the top of the group.
Senegal won the AFCON last year, and the players will be looking forward to another great year with their national team. Kalidou Koulibaly from Al Hilal will join country teammate Sadio Mane to face Rwanda and Algeria, both at home. Senegal has won 4 and drawn 1 in their last 5 fixtures and is also the favorite to win the match.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch this story: Meet the Legendary Tennis Player Who Is 3x Richer Than Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Nassr’s manager, Luis Castro, will have a week to improve his tactics and utilize the players at his disposal during the break. Sultan Al-Ghannam and Abdullah Al-Khaibari might also be leaving the squad to join the Saudi Arabia national team as they face Costa Rica and South Korea in a friendly. How many goals do you think Al Nassr will score this season? Let us know in the comments below.