Lionel Messi to take $600m Saudi Arabia offer instead of Barcelona reunion

According to FIFA-registered agent Marco Kirdemir, Lionel Messi may reject an offer from FC Barcelona and sign with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal for a staggering $600 million deal. Kirdemir has strong relationships with the King of Saudi Arabia, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also the Paris Saint-Germain chairman. Kirdemir states this relationship as his source for how he knows about Messi’s future plans.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that Leo’s father and agent Jorge Messi informed PSG that his contract will not be renewed when it expires on June 30. While the Argentine international was heavily linked with a return to Camp Nou with Onda Cero reporting that the World Cup winner wants to spend one year in Barcelona before joining Al-Hilal, Kirdemir has now refuted this.

Kirdemir stated on Radio Marca that Messi will not return to Barcelona now and that he will only return when retires, and that he has received an offer of $600 million from Al-Hilal. If true and Messi accepts the offer, he will become the highest-paid athlete in the world and will surpass Cristiano Ronaldo on Forbes’ list of the World’s Highest-Paid Athletes. Messi finished second to Ronaldo in the most recent list, earning $130 million to Ronaldo’s $136 million.

Lionel Messi could be joining Al-Hilal instead of Barcelona

Kirdemir also stated that Messi recently visited Saudi Arabia to meet with the King and look for places to live, and if his family agrees, he will play in Saudi Arabia. Kirdemir attended an important meeting in Madrid a few months ago with delegates from the Saudi Football Federation to discuss the potential move.

Kirdemir also noted that PSG wouldn’t have suspended Messi for two weeks, which will see him miss two matches and lose half a month’s pay, if he hadn’t travelled to a country that has issues with Qatar. The Argentine headed to Saudi Arabia without PSG’s permission to fulfil his duties as a tourism ambassador, which infuriated PSG’s president. Additionally, PSG fans chanted offensive slurs at Messi and Neymar on Wednesday, causing tension between the club and its star players.

Saudi Arabia is eager to create a strong league and attract the biggest stars in the world, as they plan to bid for the 2030 World Cup. Barcelona is struggling financially and is required to cut €200 million ($221 million) from its wage bill, making it unable to compete with Al-Hilal’s offer to Messi. On top of this, SPORT reported that Messi would be offered €25 million ($27.6 million) annually to join the Catalans. However, the future remains uncertain, and Messi’s decision has yet to be determined.

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