The Saudi club offered Messi the same contract as Ronaldo
On March 14, Messi's father and agent - Jorge Messi - went to a luxury hotel in the capital Riyadh with two people believed to be members of the Saudi Royal Family.
According to Forbes magazine, this move caused many rumors about Messi's move to Saudi Arabia, although this trip of Jorge is likely to be for commercial purposes. The star on the PSG payroll has signed a contract as a tourism ambassador of the Middle Eastern country and will visit Asia in the near future.
In January 2023, Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo reported that a Saudi club was preparing to send an offer of $ 350 million to Messi. Prince of Qatar Nasser Al-Attiyah, even confirmed that the 35-year-old striker will come to Saudi Arabia to play for Al Hilal club from the summer of 2023.
On March 15, Marca newspaper reported that Al Hilal was ready to "test Messi's resolve" by inviting him to sign a contract with the same terms as when rival Al Nassr recruited Ronaldo. This means that Messi will have an income of $ 240 million per season, including hard salary, bonuses and become the image representing Saudi Arabia's sporting aspirations.
Al Hilal is the most successful football team in Saudi Arabia, with 65 titles, including a record of 18 times winning the Saudi League and a record of 4 times winning the AFC Champions League.
Having both Messi and Ronaldo - the two best players in the world for about 15 years - will be a big boost to Saudi Arabia's ambition to host the 2030 World Cup. However, Argentina is also competing for the right to co-host the tournament with Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile.
Saudi politicians are said to be ready to change the salary cap law to help clubs recruit more stars in the future. They also played an important role in Ronaldo's arrival at Al Nassr and the end of 20 years of playing in Europe, after terminating his contract with Man Utd at the end of 2022.
Messi's contract with PSG will expire in June 2023, and he has the choice to extend for a year or not. According to French newspaper L'Équipe, PSG is increasingly less confident about the possibility that Messi will agree to an extension. They used to think that there is a 90% chance of reaching an agreement with the Argentine captain when the 2022 World Cup is taking place. But after winning the World Cup, Messi said he had "nothing more important to strive for".
Meanwhile, Marca reported that Messi wants to extend, but negotiations with PSG "are not as easy as before the 2022 World Cup". The financial needs of the Argentine star changed after winning the tournament in Qatar. Jorge has met several times with the PSG board, including sporting director Luis Campos, but no agreement has been reached. The two sides are said to agree to continue negotiations in the near future. The fact that PSG lost to Bayern in the round of 16 of the Champions League may also hinder the negotiation process.
