Messi’s departure to Saudi Arabia is a finished deal

A Saudi source close to the negotiations told AFP, on Tuesday, that Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season, describing the contract as “huge.”

The Argentine footballer’s departure from the wealthy Gulf kingdom is “a done deal”. “He will play in Saudi Arabia,” said the source, who asked not to be named.

The contract is exceptional. He is gigantic. We are still finalizing some details, she added, without revealing the name of the club involved.

In response to a question by Agence France-Presse, Paris Saint-Germain limited itself to reminding that Messi’s contract is valid until June 30.

“If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done sooner,” but another source at the Parisian club relented. According to this second source, the Argentine will honor the expiry of his contract as planned and expect no official communication from the club.

Already under contract with the Saudi Tourism Office to promote it on social networks, Lionel Messi must find in the local tournament the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, the Al-Nassr player since the winter transfer period.

Many media have reported in recent days, the existence of a wonderful offer from its rival Al-Hilal, worth 400 million euros annually to bring Messi and recreate the legendary rivalry with CR7, when the two players played in the Spanish League.

“The negotiations did not take long with Ronaldo,” the Saudi source said, adding that, as with the latter, the financial package came from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.

The exciting Portuguese striker’s contract in Saudi Arabia, estimated at 400 million euros, until June 2025, made him the highest-paid sportsman in the world in 2023, according to the annual Forbes ranking.