Cardinale, who controls AC Milan and Toulouse, addressed the possibility in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. He said he had been approached to assess the opportunity and that his work in the Middle East had brought him into contact with the Saudi market.
“There have been discussions to assess the opportunity of Al-Nassr and they contacted me to examine it, but we are at an early stage. I work a lot in the Middle East,” Cardinale said.
The American investor also expressed an interest in meeting Cristiano Ronaldo, whose future involvement with the club could become relevant beyond his playing career. Ronaldo remains a central figure at Al-Nassr, and Cardinale said he was curious to understand what the forward might want to do after retiring.
“I would like to meet Ronaldo because I am curious to find out what he wants to do when he retires, and what his future involvement in the Saudi club could be.”
Cardinale added that he intended to continue considering opportunities to expand his multi-club portfolio, rather than limiting RedBird's football interests to its existing investments.
“I will continue to assess the possibilities of owning multiple clubs, even though I already have Toulouse and AC Milan.”
RedBird's existing portfolio includes a 99.93 per cent stake in AC Milan and an 85 per cent stake in Toulouse. Any acquisition of Al-Nassr would therefore add a third club to Cardinale's football interests, but his comments do not indicate that a formal offer or agreement is in place.
The discussions are still exploratory, with Cardinale making clear that he is assessing the opportunity rather than confirming an imminent takeover. Ronaldo’s possible post-retirement role is also part of his interest.
For now, Al-Nassr remains a possibility under consideration, while Cardinale continues to oversee his existing investments in Italy and France.