Lionel Messi‘s father Jorge is rumoured to be in Riyadh for talks with Al-Hilal about the possibility of his son joining the Saudi club on a staggering £245m-a-year contract.
Messi made a goalscoring return to action for PSG on Wednesday in his first match since winning the World Cup last month, but his club future remains uncertain.
The Argentina captain’s deal is due to expire in June and, while he is said to have assured PSG that he will sign an extension, it has now emerged that Al-Hilal are keen to bring him to Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi played for PSG on Wednesday for the first time since winning the World Cup
His father Jorge (right) is said to be in Riyadh to discuss the possibility of Messi joining Al-Hilal
They would be willing to pay him $300m-a-year (£245m) to get a deal over the line, according to Mundo Deportivo.
It is believed Messi would be open to the move, despite recent reports claiming he is edging closer towards extending his PSG deal until 2024.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, a relative of the Emir of Qatar, has further fuelled speculation that he will move to the Middle East after reportedly stating: ‘Messi, his next club after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, will be Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal are currently banned from adding players until the next transfer window, but they want Messi to sign now ahead of a potential move in the summer.
Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain has less than six months to run on his PSG contract
Should he join Al-Hilal, Messi would renew his rivalry with Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi’s father has arrived in the Saudi capital to discuss the proposed move, as reported by The New Arab, which would see Messi renew his on-pitch rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo joined fellow Saudi side Al-Nassr last month and will receive £175m per year during his time with the club.
Should Messi accept Al-Hilal’s proposal, he will earn significantly more than Ronaldo and also get the chance to play against his great nemesis once more.
Messi and Ronaldo enjoyed a historic rivalry while competing against each other for Barcelona and Real Madrid between 2009 and 2018, when they established themselves as the two best players on the planet.
Messi would earn more than his great rival if he opted to accept Al-Hilal’s lucrative offer
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr appeared to have signalled the end of their rivalry, but Messi could now follow him to Saudi.
Clashes between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are considered Saudi’s equivalent of El Clasico, and seeing Messi and Ronaldo on opposite sides would only add extra spice to the occasion.
The legendary paid could also play against one another when PSG travel to Riyadh to take on an All-Star XI featuring players from Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal on January 19.
This could act as a dress rehearsal for future meetings between the iconic pair if Messi decides to end his time in Europe and take Al-Hilal’s lucrative offer.
Source: dailymail
