35-year-old football superstar, Lionel Messi has been linked to a move to Saudi Arabian club, Al Hilal in a deal worth £245 million per year, according to reports.
Recall that his strong contender, Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, arrived in the Middle East earlier this month after agreeing a £173m-a-year transfer to Al Nassr.
Ronaldo parted ways with Manchester United by mutual consent after hitting out at his former coach Erik Ten Hag and the club’s owner in a controversial interview with Piers Morgan.
It makes him the highest-paid sports star in the world by some margin as he prepares to finish his career with the club.
But according to Mundo Deportivo, Messi could be given the opportunity to dwarf Ronaldo’s wage packet in the coming months.
Messi’s PSG deal expires in June and he is expected to sign an extension that would see him play on with the French championships.
If he agrees to join the Saudi Arabian side, not only would it put Messi in direct competition with long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo, it would see his earnings surpass those of the newly signed Al Nassr forward.
Ronaldo joined the Saudi Arabia club at the start of the year on a contract said to be worth $214m a year.
Like Ronaldo, though, he may be tempted by a mega-money offer to see out the end of his trophy-laden playing days in Saudi Arabia.
Citing a report by Mundo Deportivo, the Daily Mail says the offer on the table is for just under $300m a year.
The report quotes Nasser Al-Attiyah, a relative of the Emir of Qatar, as saying: “Messi, his next club after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain, will be Saudi Arabia”.
The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most intense individual contests in the history of the game.
The old foes are set to face off again for an exhibition game in Riyadh this month, but fans would be drooling over regular league meetings again should Al Hilal pull off the transfer coup.
The rivalry between Al Hilal and Al Nassr is one of the strongest in Saudi Arabia’s professional football league.
Al Hilal have won the league three years in a row and were victors in last season’s Asian Champions League.
Al Hilal were strongly linked with a move for Ronaldo before his eventual move to Al Nassr, but were not able to progress with a deal as they are currently serving a temporary transfer embargo.
