Saudi Saudi Arabian club, Al-Hilal, has offered around £260 million a year deal for Argentina captain and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player, Lionel Messi.
Messi is only waiting to end the season with PSG before accepting the Al-Hilal’s offer. The offer has been on the table for over a month.
Messi’s father, Jorge, has informed PSG that the player does not wish to accept their offer for another year’s contract.
Barcelona and Inter Miami hold strong interest but in Barca’s case they have yet to clear the financial hurdles necessary to bring their former idol back to the Camp Nou.
The 35-year-old Argentine World Cup winner will depart PSG at the end of the season and, according to reports in Spain, will snub Barcelona and head to the Middle East.
El Chiringuito TV say Messi will accept the proposal tabled by the four-time Asian Champions League winners and follow his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi.
Remarkably, they also report he will be joined there by his former Barcelona team-mate Sergio Busquets, who will accept a two-season deal, and potentially also Jordi Alba.
It emerged last week that Messi will end his two-season stay in Paris at the end of the campaign, with Barcelona’s interest no secret and MLS club Inter Miami also linked.
Messi is already a tourism ambassador for the country, paid £25m-a-year to do so, and it was an unauthorised visit to Riyadh last week that hastened his exit from the Parc des Princes.
Messi, wife Antonela Roccuzzo and children Ciro and Mateo were photographed enjoying attractions in the capital Riyadh and Diriyah during their visit.
Because the trip was not sanctioned by Galtier, nor by sporting director Luis Campos, Messi was suspended for 15 days and also docked some of his wages.
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