Al-Nassr new signings Confirmed ins and outs for summer 2023

With the transfer window coming to a close, who are the Al-Nassr new signings?

Saudi Arabia took the world of football by storm in the last couple of years. Cristiano Ronaldo was the biggest name to join the Saudi league, but plenty of other players followed his footsteps to make a thrilling football competition even more interesting.

Al-Nassr’s board has been sending transfer offers left and right, and it’s certainly interesting to follow the news and see whose name is connected with a possible move to the club.

That being said, who are the latest Al-Nassr newcomers? Are there any interesting names that joined Al-Nassr without you noticing? Has anyone left to make room for more star players to boost Al-Nassr’s ranks? Find out the answers to these questions below!

Al-Nassr New Signings

Aymeric Laporte – Man City

The five-time Premier League winner has been brought in to shore up the defense and comes in at a modest fee of €27.50m. The French-born Spanish international can operate on the left-side of central defense or even played games as a full back when at Athletic Bilbao.

The move was made possible with Laporte losing his starting role in Pep Guardiola's side to John Stones last season before seeing the club splurge on Josko Gvardiol this month.  The 29 year old heads to Saudi Arabia in search of more playing time.

Otávio – Porto

The 28 year old Brazilian-born attacking midfielder is the largest transfer fee paid this summer by Al Nassr as he joins for around €60m from Porto. 

The versatile forward, who can play on the wing but also through the middle, has been a key part of Porto's recent titles in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Although the Dragões finished runners up last season he was still voted as the Primeira Liga's best player and had interested from Premier League clubs such as Liverpool.

Sadio Mané – Bayern Munich 

The Senegalese forward joins Al Nassr for a fee of around €30 m and is another huge marquee signing for the Saudi League.

Mané leaves Bayern Munich after just one season, and will be looking to return to the form that saw him finish second in the Ballon d'or back in 2022. Internal issues at Bayern are rumoured to be the reason for Mané's departure, with Al Nassr jumping at the opportunity to bring him to Saudi. 

At 31, Mané still has plenty to offer and will help take some of the goalscoring burden away from Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Seko Fofana – RC Lens

At the age of 28, Seko Fofana is undoubtedly enjoying the best years of his professional career. Which automatically puts an end to the media narrative that only aging footballers go to Saudi Arabia.

The former Lens central midfielder boosted Al-Nassr’s ranks after a massive €25.00m bid for his services. The Ivorian box-to-box midfielder had no other option but to accept the club's lucrative contract.

Fofana was a key cog in Lens’ winning machine last season. The powerful midfielder was featured in 35 Ligue 1 games in which he managed to score seven goals, provide five assists, and helped Lens qualify for the Champions League.

Marcelo Brozovic – Inter Milan

Having Marcelo Brozovic on your side is always a good idea. The Croatian defensive midfielder joined Al-Nassr’s side after Inter Milan received a €15.00m bit for his services. With the financial issues that the club from Milan is currently experiencing, it’s no wonder why Brozovic was sold to Al-Nassr.

Much like his new teammates Fofana, Brozovic took a key part in his former club’s 2022/23 season. Marcelo took part in 28 Serie A matches, scoring thrice and assisting on five occasions, with eight yellow cards to his name as well.

The Croatian defensive midfielder also played in nine Champions League games before opting to join Al-Nassr’s interesting project.

Alex Telles – Manchester United

€7m for Alex Telles’ services is a bargain and a half from Al-Nassr’s side! The Brazilian left-back reunited with old friend Cristiano, and now the two will be able to help the team grow further.

Alex Telles’ 2022/23 campaign was with the Sevilla jersey. He did all right throughout the 27 La Liga matches he was featured in, but huge financial issues hit the Spanish side and the board was forced to put everyone on sale. And Al-Nassr were quick to react snapping him up on a two-year deal.

Mohammed Qasem

After spending the last four seasons playing for Bourj FC in the Lebanese Premier League, Mohammed Qasem is now entering the biggest challenge of his professional career. Sure, he’ll play second fiddle to Alex Telles in Al-Nassr, but with the busy schedule ahead of the Saudi Pro League team, Mohammed Qasem will have his fair share of chances to prove to coach Luis Castro he has a place in the starting XI despite Telles being the obvious choice on paper.

Mohammed Qasem joins Al-Nassr on a free transfer after his contract with Bourj FC expired earlier this year. With a market value of €150k, Mohammed Qasem doesn’t exactly fall in the category of the high-caliber players that the Saudi Pro League team is after in recent transfer windows. However, seeing as the Portuguese manager doesn’t have any classic left-back to backup Telles, Mohammed Qasem’s transfer is truly a bargain and a half.

Al-Nassr’s Departures in 2023

Alvaro Gonzalez – Al-Qadsiah

Central defender Alvaro Gonzalez, 33, was a key part of Al-Nassr last season. He took part in 22 Saudi Pro League games, in which he managed to score once and get himself booked only four times! However, Al-Nassr and Gonzalez decided that the best move for both sides would be to part ways. Now, the former Marseille and Villarreal star will defend Al-Qadsiah FC’s jersey, as he hopes the 2023/24 season would make his former club regret selling him.

Jin-Su Kim – Jeonbuk Hyundai

The South Korean left-back has made a permanent move back to Jeonbuk Hyundai where he has been on loan for the past seasons.

The 31 year old has won several league titles in his native Korea and with so many players incoming it was expected the 2022 World Cup defender wouldn't return to Al Nassr.

Augustin Rossi – Boca Juniors 

The Argentinian shot-stopper only joined Al Nassr in January of this year, but has now returned to his parent club after the short-term loan deal was not made permanent. Rossi only made 8 appearances for the Saudi club and now leaves the team lacking a strong number one keeper, with Colombian international David Ospina still recovering from a long-term injury. A new goalkeeper will be a priority before the transfer window ends. 

Khalil Al-Absi – Al-Nazem

Khalil Al-Absi was never really a part of Al-Nassr’s star 11. He was loaned out for the 2022/23 season. Khalil played 21 games for Al-Ta’ee, in which he neither scored nor assisted. That’s not the sort of display that gives you the right to partner with Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, and Al-Nassr’s board was quick to let the 22-year-old up-and-coming winger go.

Luiz Gustavo – Without Club

Brazilian defensive midfielder Luis Gustavo and Al-Nassr announced that they are parting ways after only one season together. Luiz took part in 29 Al-Nassr games last season, in which he scored five goals whilst providing teammates with four valuable assists. However, with Marcelo Brozovic joining Al-Nassr’s ranks, perhaps Luiz Gustavo’s best move was to leave, as his playing minutes would’ve taken a huge hit.

Hamad Al-Mansour – Al-Okhdood

After a three-year spell with Al-Nassr, it was time for Hamad Al-Mansour, 30, to open a new chapter in his professional career. Last season, the Saudi Arabian full-back spent most of his time on the bench. We are sure that he’s more than eager to get his career back on track with a move to Al-Okhdood.

Pity Martinez – River Plate

30-year-old Pity Martinez is the latest player to make room for more international football superstars. The Argentine-Italian played only seven games for Al-Nassr during the 2022/23 season before being a vital part of the team’s starting XI during the previous two campaigns, in which he made a total of 36 appearances.

Pity Martinez leaves Al-Nassr on a free transfer and will be able to search for different challenges wherever he likes. He opted to go back home and play for Argentine River Plate on a two-year deal.

Raed Ozaybi – Al-Khaleej

21-year-old Rae Ozaybi is another player who was given the boot to make room for a high-profile goalkeeper. Costa Rican goalkeeping legend David Ospina will be the one to fill in the Ozaybi-shaped hole at the back. The Saudi shot-stopper was transferred to Al-Khaleej this summer.

Mansour Al-Shammari – Al-Hazem

With the arrival of Mohammed Qasem and Alex Telles, Mansour Al-Shammari’s presence on the team seems pointless. That’s why the board sold their 22-year-old left-back. Saudi Pro League’s Al-Hazem took Mansour Al-Shammari under their wing. Hopefully, the talented defender will get a better chance for some regular first-team football.

Ghislain Konan – Al-Fayha

Speaking of left-backs who left the team, Ghislain Konan followed in the footsteps of Mansour Al-Shamari. The 27-year-old player is still a part of Al-Nassr but he’ll spend the 2023/24 season playing for Saudi Pro League’s Al-Fayha. The defender comes from Cote d’Ivoire and has a price tag of €8m. He surely has a future with Al-Nassr but to do that, he’ll have to perform well for Al-Fayha in order to convince his Portuguese coach.