The international horizon of RedBird continues to fuel rumours. In recent hours the hypothesis of a possible entry of the fund led by Gerry Cardinale into Al-Nassr, one of the most important clubs of the Saudi Pro League and the team where Cristiano Ronaldo also plays, has emerged.

An operation that, at least on paper, would fit into the American group’s growth strategy in world football. RedBird has been the majority shareholder of Milan since 2022 and has also controlled Toulouse, a French club playing in Ligue 1, since 2020.

RedBird-Al Nassr, no negotiations underway

According to Calcio&Finanza, based on sources close to the dossier, any investment would still be in an extremely preliminary phase. At the moment there have been no direct contacts between the parties and the chances that the operation could materialise in the short term are therefore reduced.

The interest would therefore not represent an ongoing negotiation, but would fall more generally into the framework of possibilities linked to the opening of Saudi football to new international investors.

The rumours could also be linked to the Saudi football system’s desire to increase international attention on its clubs and encourage the entry of new private capital.

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Al-Nassr and the Saudi privatisation project

Al-Nassr is one of the clubs involved in the new phase of the Saudi football privatisation process. The club is currently under the control of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which in 2023 acquired 75% of the club, while the remaining 25% stayed with the club’s non-profit foundation.

In August 2026 the transfer of that remaining share to the PIF was also started, with the aim of concentrating ownership and preparing the ground for possible future entries of private investors.

A similar path was followed by Al-Hilal, another top club of the Saudi Pro League, where the PIF recently sold 70% to Kingdom Holding Company, keeping the remaining 30%.

RedBird watches, but no agreement on the horizon

The Saudi strategy therefore aims to attract international groups interested in entering a fast-growing market. In this scenario RedBird would also be among the names linked to the possible opening process of Al-Nassr.

At the moment, however, there are no official agreements or negotiations for the American fund’s entry into Cristiano Ronaldo’s club. The hypothesis therefore remains in the background, linked more to a possible future evolution than to an already started operation.