Marcelo Brozovic is close to joining Al Sadd on a one-season contract with an option for another year, a move that could send him toward a reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo in the AFC Champions League Elite. The 33-year-old former Al-Nassr midfielder is expected to travel next weekend for a medical examination as the transfer nears completion.
That matters now because the deal is being shaped around a simple 1+1 contract, a structure that gives Al Sadd one guaranteed season and the chance to extend it without starting from scratch again. Brozovic became a free agent after his Al-Nassr contract ended, and the timing has sharpened interest because Al-Nassr is scheduled to face Al Sadd at Al-Awwal Park on November 24.
Brozovic spent three seasons at Al-Nassr after arriving from Inter in 2023, so the move would keep him in the Gulf after three years in Saudi Arabia and potentially put him back in front of Ronaldo sooner rather than later. He and Ronaldo shared those three seasons in Riyadh, and the possibility of meeting again on November 24 is what gives the transfer its edge.
Even so, the story is not fully settled. Brozovic's agent, Marina Mikulic, said he was currently in Riyadh and that his next destination was still unknown, adding that there had been no contact with Al Ittihad or Al Ahli. Earlier links to Europe, including Fiorentina and Lazio, did not turn into a move, which is why Al Sadd has emerged as the clearest option without closing the door entirely.
If the medical goes ahead as planned next weekend, the remaining step is not the idea of the transfer but its completion. For Brozovic, that means the next chapter could be defined less by where he has been than by whether he arrives in time to face the club he just left in the Saudi Pro League's continental race.
