Although his two-week suspension was lifted after his public apology last week, Lionel Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain looks to be ending at the end of next month regardless.
L’Équipe have confirmed this evening that an offer from Saudi Arabia is the only one the Argentine has on the table for the time being – and the move was even discussed during his unauthorised trip to the Gulf state last week.
The contract being put forward to the former Barcelona man reportedly covers two seasons, including an optional third (as is the case in his PSG contract, although in this case the clause will not be triggered). He would earn a record-breaking salary, between €500m and €600m.
Nevertheless, Messi himself is prioritising any offers that might come from Europe, given he wants to keep playing at the highest level until the 2024 Copa América. A return to Barcelona is a potential option, although the Blaugrana still need to raise money to register players already at the club, before even thinking about bringing back their all-time top scorer.
L’Équipe have also confirmed Mohamed Bouhafsi‘s earlier reporting that Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets had been offered contracts in order to convince Messi – adding that Sergio Ramos also features in that list, given that the former Clásico rivals have become close friends in Paris. His international teammates Ángel Di María and Leandro Paredes – also formerly of PSG – could also be offered deals. The objective would not necessarily be to have all of these players in the same team, but rather have all of them based in Riyadh. It remains to be seen, though, whether the players’ families can be convinced of a move to the Gulf state.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
