Shortly after arriving in Saudi Arabia, João Félix is put up for sale | OneFootball

João Félix’s Al Nassr and company are going to be affected by a decision from the Saudi Arabian government. Despite a strong financial start to the season with the arrivals of Kingsley Coman, Iñigo Martínez, and the former Benfica player himself, the Riyadh Yellows have been put up for sale to new investors.

According to information reported by journalist Ahmed Ajlan, the Middle Eastern country’s government intends to reduce spending on football in their country, with the team of the former Benfica striker being one of the main targets, along with Al Ahli Jeddah, Al Ittihad, and Al Hilal. All the mentioned clubs are owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (75%) and the Ministry of Sport (25%).

Although there are no public buyers yet interested in purchasing Al Nassr, there are already names being linked to investing in their main rival. Prince Al Waleed bin Mosaad is the leading candidate to buy Al Hilal, as he has a good relationship with the club’s management, as seen in 2023 when he made his private jet available to bring Neymar over during his transfer from PSG. In second place is Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad, former owner of Sheffield United.

It’s worth noting that, since Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in the Saudi league in January 2023, Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli Jeddah have already spent a total of 1.59 billion euros on transfers. The Riyadh rivals are actually the biggest spenders: the Blues with €558M and the Yellows with €406M.

As for the action on the field, the first trophy of the Saudi football season was decided last Saturday, August 23, with João Félix’s Al Nassr losing on penalties to Al Ahli Jeddah. The 25-year-old forward, who came up through Benfica’s ranks, was one of those called to take a penalty and did not miss his shot from the spot.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.