Al-Nassr has secured its first major summer signing, completing an agreement with Joao Felix to join coach Jorge Jesus’ squad.
Felix had been on Chelsea’s transfer list since the start of the current summer transfer window, and in recent days, he was on the verge of returning to the club where he began his career, Benfica.
However, in recent hours, at the recommendation of Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus and with the direct intervention of him and Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr began negotiations with Joao Felix, who in turn welcomed the move to the Saudi Roshen League next season.
The Saudi club reached an agreement with Chelsea to purchase the 26-year-old player for €50 million. However, the payment method has not yet been agreed upon, whether in cash or in installments.
Benfica’s offer to bring Felix back was capped at €25 million, and the salary the Portuguese club offered the player was significantly lower than what Al-Nassr had offered, which explains why negotiations collapsed and the player ultimately joined the “Knight of Najd.”
It is said that one of the catalysts for Felix’s move to Al-Nassr was a phone call he had with coach Jesus, during which he convinced him of the Saudi club’s project and the feasibility of playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Al-Nassr will have to sell at least one professional player to sign Felix, and all expectations point to the departure of another Portuguese player, Otavio, who received a lucrative offer from Al-Qadisiyah in the past few hours.
