How disgruntled Cristiano Ronaldo holds the key to THREE high-profile transfers including Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante - revealed

Big money continues to be invested by ambitious outfits in Saudi Arabia, with Ronaldo helping to start that trend when he made his way to Al-Nassr in 2023. After seeing his contract torn up at Premier League giants Manchester United, the Portuguese signed the most lucrative terms in world football when heading to Riyadh.

He has since agreed an extension to that deal through to the summer of 2027. The evergreen frontman will be 42 by that time that contract comes to a close. He is being tipped by many to play on beyond that point.

It could be that the five-time Ballon d’Or decides to take on a new challenge before hanging up his boots, with the Portugal international cutting a frustrated figure at present. It is being claimed that CR7 could go on strike and refuse to play for Al-Nassr in upcoming fixtures.

He may be absent from a derby date with Al-Riyadh on Monday. There had been reports to suggest that Ronaldo would be rotated out of that contest in order to keep him fresh. Al-Nassr are understandably eager to avoid pushing their talismanic captain to breaking point.

Portuguese news outlet A Bola have, however, claimed that Ronaldo is “unhappy with the way the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia) is managing the club he has represented for three years, especially compared to the treatment given to rival clubs, also managed by the same fund”.

The all-time great wants more money to be injected into his project and will not stand by idly as others are allowed to carry out impressive business. That has meant stepping in to prevent deals being reached by Saudi Pro League opponents.

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Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema has become embroiled in a contract dispute at Al-Ittihad, leading to exit talk being sparked there. It was suggested that table-topping Al-Hilal were eager to add the prolific French striker to their ranks.

Any agreement there is being blocked by Ronaldo “on the grounds that it would damage the fair competition environment”. That is despite the Portuguese icon seeing the likes of Sadio Mane, Joao Felix and Kingsley Coman join him at Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo’s intervention is having a domino effect across the Saudi Pro League, with a couple of other big-name performers unable to complete transfers that are in the pipeline and ready to be signed off.

Sports Digitale report that: “Cristiano Ronaldo's intervention in Karim Benzema's Al-Hilal transfer has caused N’Golo Kante to be unable to sign with Fenerbahce yet, while Youssef En-Nesyri has been unable to join Al-Ittihad. The clubs have finalised the agreements and submitted them to the Saudi Pro League; official signatures are on hold pending approval.”

Willingness to bow to Ronaldo's demands highlights how desperate those in the Saudi Pro League are to keep him settled in his current surroundings. If he were to be pushed too far, then it could be that he seeks a move elsewhere and takes his considerable global following with him.

Compromises will now be sought that help to make everybody happy. Benzema may still be on the move, and that could allow Kante and En-Nesyri to complete the transfers that they are already committed to.

Ronaldo is desperate to give himself the best possible chance of chasing down major honours in 2026, having found tangible success hard to come by across his spell with Al-Nassr. He is also chasing down 1,000 competitive career goals and is expected to lead Portugal into this summer’s World Cup as captain of his country - with more history being made there.