Saudi Arabian club prepares to lure Lionel Messi to join Cristiano Ronaldo

Agencies | Riyadh

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com  

Lionel Messi's father Jorge landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after the PSG star was offered a deal that would pay him the same as Cristiano Ronaldo.

The rumoured offer came after PSG halted contract negotiations with the superstar. Ronaldo completed a sensational move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr two months ago and will earn over £173 million per year.

According to reports, Messi's contract offer features the same terms as Ronaldo's, with the deal containing not just the player's major income but also their image rights and other contractual duties.

As Ronaldo joined Riyadh-based club Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, the Middle Eastern nation's historically largest team, has been linked with a transfer for Messi.

Al-Hilal are presently subject to a transfer embargo, but think they will be able to acquire players this summer.

Messi signed a two-year contract with PSG in the summer of 2021, with his contract set to expire in June.

Despite a rough initial season in Paris, he has tallied 18 goals and given 19 assists this season and has expressed his delight at adjusting to life in French.

But, his future has been called into question as PSG suspended contract extension discussions in order to avoid further penalty for violating UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations (FFP).

PSG was one of ten teams penalised €10 million for failing to comply with FFP last year, with a further €45 million suspended, as well as Champions League punishments, if they fail to comply with FFP in the future.

According to Marca, Messi's father Jorge travelled to the Saudi capital this week for commercial reasons - Messi is an ambassador for the nation's tourist board - but this trip might possibly have included transfer discussions.