Lionel Messi 'to be offered £193m per year to move to Saudi Arabia'

Saudi Arabia are reportedly preparing to offer Lionel Messi terms worth £193m per year to move to Al-Hilal.

Earlier this year, Cristiano Ronaldo made the decision to sign a lucrative deal with Al-Nassr soon after his time at Manchester United came to an end.

Since then, the Saudi Pro League has benefitted from more eyes watching their football, Ronaldo's side currently one point adrift of leaders Al-Ittihad.

Nevertheless, it was been well-documented for a number of months that there is a desire to attract further global names to the country in due course.

Messi, for obvious reasons, is regarded in the same bracket as Ronaldo, his status having been enhanced further by his performances which helped Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year.

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According to Marca, Saudi Arabia are ready to put a package together for Messi to spend the latter stages of his career representing Al-Hilal.

The report claims that the nation's government are willing to change laws where salary limits can be increased to accommodate the arrival of the forward.

As it stands, the next phase of Messi's career is uncertain with his contract at Paris Saint-Germain due to expire in the summer.

Ideally, the French giants would like to retain the services of the 35-year-old, who has netted 17 goals and 17 assists from 29 outings in Ligue 1 and the Champions League this season.

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However, with PSG having to significantly boost their position with FFP, it has been claimed that the likes of Messi and Sergio Ramos may leave Parc des Princes at the end of 2022-23.

MLS side Inter Miami are also said to be in the race to sign Messi, aware that the attacker is an admirer of the city and has spent time on holiday there.

If Messi is prepared to entertain a move to the Middle East, it is alleged that he would be offered the same terms as long-term rival Ronaldo.

Al-Hilal, who recently appeared in the Club World Cup final against Real Madrid, currently occupy fourth spot in the table, 11 points behind the leaders but with two matches in hand.