DUBAI: The management of Al-Nassr FC, owned by the Public Investment Fund, is seeking to repay debts exceeding $212 million (SR800 million) through sponsorships and partnerships as a prelude to a potential sale, Asharq Al-Awsat has reported.
The source told Asharq Bloomberg that Al-Nassr will look to pay off its debts through sponsorships and commercial partnerships, noting that these will play the biggest role in addressing the club’s financial crisis.
The Saudi Ministry of Sports earlier this year transferred the non-profit organization’s 25 percent shares to PIF, raising the fund’s ownership in Al-Nassr to 100 percent, after it had acquired 75 percent of the club as part of the investment and privatization project in the summer of 2023.
A potential partial sale comes at a time when Al-Nassr has faced increasing financial pressure because of the debt, most of which is due to financial decisions undertaken during the 2025-26 season, Saudi newspaper Al-Riyadh published at the end of last July.
According to that report, PIF began taking urgent measures to contain the financial crisis facing the club, especially with the strict financial oversight by the Saudi Professional League, which limited Al-Nassr’s ability to make any signings during the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Nassr has spent about $507 million on player contracts since the summer of 2023, including only $25 million during the last summer transfer window (2025).
An investment consortium led by the US firm Redbird Capital Partners, along with Saudi investors, has entered into negotiations with PIF to acquire a stake in Al-Nassr football club, according to a source who spoke to Asharq Bloomberg last September.
The source, who asked not to be identified, added that the alliance was seeking to finalize the deal by the end of the current season, and that negotiations are ongoing.
The alliance includes Redbird Capital Partners, headed by Gerry Cardinale, and the Saudi Media Co., in addition to businessman and former club president Ibrahim Al-Muhaidib, according to sources.
Another source close to the alliance confirmed to Asharq Bloomberg that the investors requested that Cristiano Ronaldo be involved in the deal as an investor, based on a clause in his contract with Al-Nassr that gives him priority in obtaining 20 percent ownership of the club in the event of it being offered for private investment.
The Portuguese newspaper A Bola reported that Al-Nassr captain Ronaldo had joined the alliance. According to the newspaper, each member of the alliance must invest at least $100 million, bringing the total potential investment to approximately $500 million.
Redbird Capital Partners fully owns the Italian club AC Milan and the French club Toulouse and also owns a stake of more than 10 percent in the English Premier League club Liverpool.
Redbird Capital Partners, when contacted by Bloomberg Al-Sharq, said it declined to comment at this time.