According to reports, the seven-time Ballons d’Or winner Messi is said to have a $506 million contract proposal from Saudi Arabia. Football legend Lionel Messi will be joining a Saudi Arabia-based club this summer after ending his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. French news agency AFP on Tuesday said Messi, 35, has held negotiations with a club in Saudi over a "huge" contract with his Paris Saint-Germain deal expiring this summer.
According to reports, the seven-time Ballons d’Or winner Messi is said to have a $506 million contract proposal from Saudi Arabia.
"Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season," AFP quoted a source.
It added: "Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a 'huge' deal, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP on Tuesday."
“The contract is exceptional. It’s huge. We are just finalising some small details," added the source.
The speculation of Messi joining a Saudi club surfaced after the Argentine recently travelled to the West Asian country to finalise the deal. Following this, the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner was reportedly suspended for two weeks by PSG. During this period, he will not be allowed to train with the squad and will also not be paid. Messi's current contract with the French giants will end on June 30.
Earlier, Barcelona said that they were opening talks with representatives of Messi for a possible return to Camp Nou. But the talks didn't materialise as Barcelona was financial struggles.
Messi’s latest move of joining a Saudi club is similar to his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in a massive deal in January.
Ronaldo signed a $214.04 million deal with Al Nassr for 2.5 years after leaving Manchester United.