Al-Nassr are ready to rival Newcastle United, with whom they share owners, in the pursuit of Yoane Wissa, according to CBS Sports sources. The Saudi side are understood to be prepared to match Brentford’s asking price for the DR Congo international in a move that could prove to be another setback in what is shaping up to be a disastrous transfer window for Newcastle.
Wissa has emerged as one of Newcastle’s leading candidates to strengthen their attack in a summer where they have missed out on a string of targets, including the forward’s former team mate Bryan Mbeumo. A bid of up to $40.3 million was rejected by Brentford, opening the window for Al-Nassr to swoop.
A move from Cristiano Ronaldo’s club would doubtless prove to be contentious on Tyneside, given that the two clubs are both owned by PIF. The Saudi sovereign wealth fund bought a majority stake in Newcastle in October 2021, a little over 18 months later it invested in four of the leading Pro League clubs amid a rush of spending in the kingdom. With no PSR-style spending limits on the likes of Al-Nassr, their squads have been significantly strengthened at a time when Newcastle have struggled to add to theirs. While battles between the Saudi quartet to obtain central funding for a signing are not unusual, this represents a rare occasion when one of PIF’s Pro League clubs have been pitted against their Premier League counterpart.
It remains to be seen if Wissa would be as open to a move to Saudi Arabia as he is understood to be for Newcastle, who can offer Champions League football to the 28-year-old. Wissa returned to training at Brentford earlier this week after returning early from the club’s preseason camp in Portugal, however the forward still wants to leave the club, for whom he scored 19 Premier League goals in 2024-25.
Al-Nassr would be required to make space in their squad were they to be successful in their pursuit of Wissa. Saudi clubs are limited to 10 foreign players in their squad, two of whom must be aged 23 or under at the start of the season. The Riyadh club are believed to be open to offers for both Sadio Mane and Otavio while Aymeric Laporte is also free to depart due to the imminent arrival of Barcelona center back Inigo Martinez.
