05 April 2023 , 01:00
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Lionel Messi is planning on rejecting an eye-watering €400m per-year offer from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal as he is keen to continue playing at the highest level in Europe.
The proposal put forward to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner by Al-Hilal, if accepted, would make Messi the highest-paid footballer on the planet. Therefore, it comes as quite a shock that the 35-year-old World Cup winner views a move to Saudi Arabia as his least desirable option, as per Spanish outlet Sport.
Messi currently plies his trade for French giants Paris Saint-Germain but sees his contract expire at the end of the season. Some would argue the transfer has failed to live up to expectations, given the Argentine has failed to inspire PSG to Champions League glory.
Recent reports have suggested an extension between the two parties is looking increasingly unlikely, which has in sparked a plethora of reports about where Messi could end up next.
Those rumours were sent into overdrive after Messi's father and agent Jorge was spotted in the Saudi capital Riyadh recently, but those same rumours are thought to be at odds with what the ex-Barcelona man wants his next chapter to be at club level.
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Many football fans are keen to see him join Al-Hilal, as it would mean Messi is left to pit his wits against the familiar face and long-time Ballon d'Or rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January.
HAVE YOUR SAY!Where will Messi play his football next season? Comment below
Lionel Messi is poised to leave PSG at the end of June (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)The ex-Manchester United star initially was public in his opposition to a Saudi switch, as he agreed with interviewer Piers Morgan that he had bigger fish to fry.
Speaking in an interview that was recorded just two months before Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr was confirmed, Morgan told the 38-year-old: "You want to keep playing at the highest level. You want to play Champions League football, you want to be breaking records.
"Again, it comes back to my gut feeling about you, that if it was just about money you'd be in Saudi Arabia earning a King's ransom. But that’s not what motivates you. You want to keep at the top."
In an answer that has hardly aged well, Ronaldo was all too quick to reply as he added: "Exactly. Because I still believe that I can score many, many goals and help the team. I still believe that I’m good and capable to help the national team."
Ronaldo of course went back on his claim and fled Europe for the Middle East two months down the line, Messi's refusal to join him could go on to enhance his own legacy at the expense of Ronaldo's.