Lionel Messi has decided to move to Saudi Arabia and accept the most lucrative contract in football history, according to reports in France.
Messi is poised to leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires on June 30 following a souring of relations in the French capital. While he has contributed 21 goals and 20 assists in 40 appearances this season to help win Ligue 1, there has long been an acceptance that his time in Paris is drawing to a close.
The 35-year-old was suspended by PSG at the start of the month after taking an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia, where he is a tourism ambassador. And he was recently criticised for deciding to head to Barcelona to watch Coldplay, rather than attending the end-of-season awards.
Messi’s heart was understood to be set on a return to Barca, but Foot Mercato reports that his head is pulling him towards Al-Hilal. The report states that Messi’s father, Jorge, who acts as his agent, has agreed a deal worth €1.2billion (£1.04bn) over two years for his son to join the Saudi Arabian side.
That would see him eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns in the region of £173million per year at Al-Nassr, to become by far the highest-earning footballer on the planet. The deal would also see Jorge Messi land the biggest agent’s commission in history. Previous reports suggested Al-Hilal would pay Messi £369m-per-year, but if the latest reports are correct, they have upped their offer.
Al-Hilal are rivals of Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and are pushing the boat out to try and land Messi ahead of Barcelona and MLS side Inter Miami. Reports in France say they have also made offers to sign Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Marco Verratti to show Messi their commitment to the project.
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There have previously been reports that family considerations might prevent Messi from moving to the Middle East. His wife, Antonela Roccuzzo was reportedly reluctant to relocate to Saudi Arabia with the couple’s three young sons and would prefer to stay in Europe.
Messi will play his final game for PSG against Clemont in Ligue 1 this weekend and speculation over his future will rumble on ahead of the transfer window opening on June 14. But his unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia in April may provide a clue towards his true feelings.
In a grovelling video apology, Messi explained how he came to be suspended by his own club. “First of all, I apologise again to my team-mates at the club,” he said.
“I honestly thought that we were going to have the day off after the game as we had done before. I had organised this trip to Saudi Arabia, which I had previously cancelled and I couldn't go.”
Barca president Joan Laporta recently met with Messi’s father Jorge, but it seems that Al-Hilal may have won the race to sign the World Cup winner.
