Lionel Messi is reportedly in talks with a move to Saudi Arabia in a whopping £320million-a-year deal.
The 35-year-old is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season when his contract expires after two years at the club.
AFP
And the Argentina international is already opening talks over his future move with Saudi Arabia a potential destination.
According to The Daily Telegraph, Messi is in negotiations with the Saudi government over a record-breaking contract worth £320m-a-year.
To put that into perspective, Cristiano Ronaldo’s mega-deal, signed until 2025, at Al Nassr is worth nearly half at £175m-a-year.
It could see arguably the two best players the world has ever seen playing in the Saudi Pro League.
Convention states that the Saudi government are involved with such huge transfers before picking a club for the player to sign for.
Former Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook is expected to handle negotiations after being appointed by the Saudi government.
PA
@cristiano
Cook was in charge of City during the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008 and he holds a similar position in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Hilal and Al Ittihad have been tipped to sign Messi ahead of next season as the traditional rivals to Al Nassr.
It would see Ronaldo and Messi fight it out, similar to the battles they had with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
PSG had hoped that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner would remain and had a contract on the table since January but there is no hope that he will stay now.
The French giants suspended Messi on Tuesday evening for an unsanctioned trip to Saudi Arabia, where he is an ambassador for their tourism board.
And PSG fans have turned on their forward after the news emerged with large groups of angry supporters gathering outside the Parc des Princes.
Chants of, ‘Messi, son of a b****’ rang around amid doubt over whether he’ll play for PSG again this season.
Having been suspended for two weeks without pay, he will miss two matches in Ligue 1 before the final three games of the season.