HomeSportsLionel Messi’s Saudi Arabia move a “done deal”

Lionel Messi’s Saudi Arabia move a “done deal”

Lionel Messi’s summer move away from Paris Saint-Germain appears to be set with a report claiming that a switch to Saudi Arabia is a “done deal”.

An anonymous source has told AFP that Messi will be playing in Saudi Arabia next season with his current PSG contract set to expire next month.

It is not known what team Lionel Messi will play for, but he will reportedly sign a “huge” deal as he joins the same league as Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed for Al Nassr in January.

READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia lure Lionel Messi with a £320m-a-year deal

Messi’s two years at PSG have failed to live up to expectations and look to be ending on a sour note after he was handed a two-week suspension following an unsanctioned promotional trip to Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Messi, who was named World Sportsman of the Year at the 2023 Laureus Awards, has not had the same love affair with PSG’s fans like he did at his previous club Barcelona, and Cyril Morin of Eurosport believes the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will not be missed.

“His behaviour during games, like walking around and showing no intensity in his work off the ball, drew plenty of criticism in the past two seasons.

“The fans believe he has been far less involved in the play than at Barcelona, and I don’t really understand what he is doing here.

READ ALSO: Lionel Messi apologizes for unauthorized Saudi trip

“His contract renewal was supposed to be sealed during the World Cup following a verbal agreement with Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father and agent. But since then, there was a big difficulty for PSG and Messi’s entourage to find a real agreement, mostly on the salary.

“So, in these last weeks, the feeling was more about the end of the road for Messi in PSG.”

There has been plenty of speculation concerning Messi’s next move, with a romantic return to Barcelona and a trip across the Atlantic to Inter Miami both also muted as possibilities.

David Beckham’s MLS side had reportedly already held meetings with Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge, while MLS commissioner Don Garber told The Athletic that he is hopeful the appropriate compensation package could be found to complete the deal.

However, a move to the Middle East almost seemed most likely from a financial sense due to the huge finances involved.

A report from The Telegraph claimed that talks have begun for a huge $400m (£320m) per year deal for Messi to join Al-Hilal.

This figure would smash the £165m-a-year contract that his long-term adversary Ronaldo is earning at Al-Hilal’s rivals Al-Nassr.

Any deal is likely to make Lionel Messi the highest-paid footballer in history.

Alfred Saiki
Alfred Saiki
A passionate sports journalist and administrator. I want to see the world.