Saudi Arabia’s football chief has denied reports that Lionel Messi is set for an imminent move to Al-Hilal but admitted he wants to see the Argentina legend play in the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi's deal with current club Paris Saint Germain is set to expire at the end of the season and there has been speculation the Argentine could continue his rivalry with Ronaldo in the Middle East.
Ronaldo, 37, joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr after leaving Manchester United on a free transfer and is set to make a staggering £177m per year during his time with the club.
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Barcelona and Inter Miami - David Beckham's MLS franchise - have also been linked with offers for Messi in the summer while his future at PSG remains uncertain.
It was reported recently that Messi was offered an incredible £246million-a-year deal to sign for Al-Hilal, a contract that would dwarf Ronaldo’s at Al-Nassr.
Ibrahim Alkassim - the General Secretary of the Saudi Football Federation - told Marca that he is unaware of a plan to lure the global superstar to the Middle East at the moment but left the door open for a move in the future. He said: “At the moment we do not know anything about a possible Lionel Messi arrival.
“Although I do not hide that, as Saudi Federation, we would like to have him one day in the domestic league.
“The idea of the Federation is always to improve our football, and of course we would like to see Cristiano and Messi in the same league again, but the truth is that we don’t know anything now.”
Messi opened the scoring for PSG in a friendly match last week that saw Ronaldo net twice in a collective team made up of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players.
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