“Messi in Saudi Arabia for a huge sum”: the challenge with Cristiano Ronaldo is back
Lionel Messi will go to play in Saudi Arabia for a “huge” sum. This was confirmed by AFP, citing a source informed of the negotiations that should bring the star of the Argentine national team and Paris Saint-Germain (Psg) to the Arabian peninsula. “Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season ”, the words attributed to the anonymous source, who did not mention the home club of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner. He will be welcomed by his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, who arrived last January at al-Nassr for a record salary of 200 million euros a year.
Contacted by AFP, PSG limited themselves to observing that Messi’s contract expires next June. Last week the club, linked to the Emir of Qatar, had suspended the player for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, where he is already ambassador for tourism. Qatar and Saudi Arabia only resumed diplomatic ties in 2021, after a diplomatic crisis that lasted almost four years. A PSG source said if the club had wanted to renew the contract of the now 35-year-old star, they “would have done it sooner”.
As for Ronaldo, Messi’s pharaonic contract would also be financed by the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. “It’s Saudi Arabia that brought him, not a specific club. The money comes from only one place: the PIF,” said the source, according to whom the negotiations lasted less than that in the case of Ronaldo.
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