According to a source familiar with negotiations, Lionel Messi is considering a move to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal after talks with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) broke down.
The source revealed that senior figures in the bid to take Messi to the Middle Eastern nation had initially believed they had no more than an outside chance of persuading the former Barcelona forward to follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Riyadh.
However, following talks with the player’s camp in Saudi Arabia last month, there is now an increasing likelihood of Messi moving to the Saudi Pro League, putting the probability as high as “50-50”.
While Barcelona president Joan Laporta maintains an interest in funding a deal to take the Argentina captain back to the Camp Nou, the La Liga leaders continue to battle against financial problems and a move for Messi appears unlikely to succeed.
Although Inter Miami have been involved in long-term negotiations to sign Messi, the Major League Soccer franchise would be unable to come close to competing with the money on offer in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal, coached by former Argentina forward Ramon Diaz, are the reigning Saudi champions and the most successful team in the Asian Champions League.
The club are regarded as the biggest and most popular in Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh neighbours Al-Nassr their traditional rivals.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
