Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi was spotted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This has created huge roars in the soccer world and rumors of a talk with a Saudi Pro League side escalated quickly. According to reports, Lionel is set to receive a bumper offer from Al-Hilal. Jorge, on the other hand, was spotted talking to officials of the club.
As the soccer world explores the possibility of watching Leo and Cristiano Ronaldo playing again in the same league, their hopes have been squashed by a journalist named Dani Gil. Twitter account @AlbicelesteTalk posted an update about Jorge’s Riyadh visit. They quoted Gil as the source.
The tweet said, “The reason of Jorge Messi’s visit to Saudi Arabia was because of commercial reasons and not sporting. Leo is Saudi’s tourism ambassador and he’ll be there in the coming weeks, also Jorge Messi’s visit to Arabia points to his own strictly commercial issue.”
(🌕) The reason of Jorge Messi’s visit to Saudi Arabia was because of commercial reasons and not sporting. Leo is Saudi’s tourism ambassador and he’ll be there in the coming weeks, also Jorge Messi’s visit to Arabia points to his own strictly commercial issue. @danigilopez 🇸🇦📍 pic.twitter.com/cIHKRR3SVY
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) March 14, 2023
Apparently, Jorge’s visit did not involve any talks of a possible transfer. However, Leo is said to be on the move in the summer of 2023. It is being reported that talks with Paris Saint-Germain for a contract extension that started a few months ago are still continuing. No conclusion has been reached. As the summer of 2023 nears, it becomes more evident that Leo might leave.
He has received no formal offers, however, rumors have stated a few possible destinations. Major League Soccer club Inter Miami, La Liga club Barcelona, and Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are the three clubs that have been named multiple times as Leo’s next destination.
Lionel Messi will surpass Cristiano Ronaldo to become the highest-paid soccer player in the world
According to reports, Leo has received a massive offer from Al-Hilal to sign for them. As per El Chiringuito (via FourFourTwo), Leo has not “ruled out” a move to Riyadh. Additionally, the media outlet noted that Jorge is demanding a massive and likely impossible salary of €600 million ($636 million) from Al-Hilal.
🚨 Al Hilal are reportedly preparing to offer Lionel Messi a €220m/year deal. [@jfelixdiaz] pic.twitter.com/XAiUfm2jNg
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) March 16, 2023
Meanwhile, according to a report from Marca, a €220 million ($233 million) per season offer is on the table. Leo will be paid this huge amount per season. This will make him the highest-paid soccer player in the world. A record that is currently held by none other than Ronaldo. The Portuguese star is also earning over $200 million a year at Al-Nassr. It is still to be seen whether Leo decides to move. We will get our answer before June 2023.
