Al-Nassr launched an ambitious approach for Pep Guardiola prior to the manager’s newly confirmed announcement that he will officially step down from Manchester City at the end of the season.Â
The pursuit by the Saudi Pro League champions opens up the sensational possibility of a historic tactical partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Guardiola rattled the footballing world by officially announcing his summer departure from City, concluding a transformative, trophy-laden 10-year tenure.Â
Seizing upon this monumental administrative shift, newly crowned Saudi champions Al-Nassr launched an ambitious pursuit to lure the tactician to Riyadh.Â
After winning the Saudi Premier League and AFC Champions League Two, coach Jorge Jesus has stepped down, sparking further speculation.
Reports emerged that the club offered a staggering world-record salary package to unite the manager with Ronaldo, forcing Guardiola’s long-term representative, Josep Maria Orobitg, to publicly clarify the exact nature of these negotiations.
Addressing widespread speculation that Al-Nassr had tempted the Catalan coach with a multi-million pound packet worth nearly â¬130 million per season, Orobitg moved quickly to dismiss the astronomical figures.Â
Speaking to Saudi outlet Okaz, he said: “There was contact a month and a half ago, just contact, without any commitment or written offer. It’s not that much money.”
The call from Al-Nassr is not the only inquiry arriving from the Gulf region, as footballing authorities look to capitalize on the manager’s sudden availability.
Revealing secondary discussions with the national setup while remaining realistic about a total agreement.
“There was also contact with the Saudi Arabian Federation about 15 days ago, but there will be no further contact for the time being,” Orobitg added. Â “At the moment, none of them have much of a chance of signing Guardiola.”
Guardiola will take charge of City for the final time on Sunday when his side host Aston Villa in an emotional season finale.Â
Once the post-match formalities are completed, the focus will shift to his impending executive responsibilities as a Global Ambassador for the City Football Group.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11âJuly 19, 2026. Spread across three countries, the tournament will culminate with the final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports app. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).
The opening match on June 11 between Mexico and South Africa (3 p.m. ET) will stream for free on Tubi, as well as the USA’s opening match against Paraguay on June 12 (9 p.m. ET).
