Lionel Messi’s father Jorge arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after the Paris Saint-Germain star was offered a transfer proposal that would put him the same wage packet as Cristiano Ronaldo.
The reported offer arrived after PSG paused the superstar’s contract renewal talks. Two months ago, Ronaldo completed a stunning move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and will earn in the region of £173million per year.
It is reported that the offer to Messi contains the same conditions as Ronaldo’s, with the contract offer encompassing not only the player’s main wage but also their image rights and several contractual responsibilities.
While Ronaldo joined Riyadh-based club Al-Nassr, it is their city rivals Al-Hilal – the Middle Eastern nation’s traditionally biggest club – who have been linked with a move for Messi. Al-Hilal are currently observing a transfer ban, but believe they will be in a position to sign players this summer.
Messi joined PSG on a two-year contract in the summer of 2021 – with his deal up for renewal in June. After a difficult debut campaign in Paris, he has netted 18 goals and provided 19 assists this season and has spoken of his happiness at adapting to life in France this term.
However, his future was thrown into doubt with PSG pausing contract renewal talks as they look to avoid further punishment by compromising UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP). PSG were one of 10 clubs fined for breaching FFP last year; €10million with a further €45m suspended alongside Champions League sanctions should they fail to comply with FFP going forwards.
Have Your Say! Which club do you think Messi will be playing for next season? Tell us what you think here.
As per Marca, Messi’s father Jorge travelled to the Saudi capital this week and while it has been claimed that this journey was for commercial reasons – Messi is an ambassador for the nation’s tourist board – but this trip could also have encompassed transfer talks.
Such a move would pit Messi against Ronaldo in the Middle Eastern nation’s capital – reminiscent of their El Clasico rivalry between 2009 and 2018.
The Argentine has been linked with a return to Barcelona but he has been refusing to answer phone calls made on behalf of a negotiator close to Joan Laporta, who is desperate for the Argentine star to return to the Camp Nou but his negotiating tactic has so far proven unsuccessful.
Messi appears to have entirely ended his relations with Laporta, whom he feels misled him over his future two summers ago – with the club unable to offer him a contract extension at the Camp Nou, and the Argentine was only aware of this situation in August – when he then uplifted his life by moving to Paris.
