by Lionel Messi is ready to wait until the end of the season before deciding on his next move.
The Argentina captain has an offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal worth around £320m a year which has been on the table for more than a month but is in no hurry to accept it.
Instead, Messi is focused on the season finale with Paris Saint-Germain, despite the current two-week suspension, and wants to end the campaign with the French title.
Messi’s father Jorge has already informed PSG that he does not want to accept their offer to extend his contract for another year as he is not convinced about their sporting project.
Barcelona and Inter Miami are very interested but in the case of Barca they have yet to overcome the financial hurdles necessary to bring their former idol back to the Camp Nou.
Lionel Messi has received an offer of £320m a year to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia
Messi, 35, visited Saudi Arabia with his wife Antonela and children Ciro and Mateo as part of his duties as the country’s tourism ambassador last week
Messi poses with a falcon on his visit to Saudi Arabia amid rumors he could play soccer there
PSG also want to sack Neymar in order to reconnect with fans and recruit young French players.
They want a centre-back, holding midfielder, striker and two wingers this summer and one of them is Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise.
Spanish outlet El Chiringuito announced that Messi at Al-Hilal could be joined by his former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets, who will accept a two-season deal, and potentially Jordi Alba as well.
Messi is already a tourism ambassador for the country, paying £25m a year for it, and it was an unauthorized visit to Riyadh last week that precipitated his departure from the Parc des Princes.
Messi, wife of Antonel Roccuzzo and children Ciro and Mateo were photographed enjoying attractions in the capital Riyadh and Diriyah during their visit.
PSG’s players were scheduled to have a day off on Monday, but after a 3-1 defeat at Lorient the previous day, coach Christophe Galtier ordered them to train extra.
However, Messi was already on his way to Saudi Arabia – a country where he could play football next season – and could not turn back.
As the departure was not approved by Galtier or sporting director Luis Campos, PSG suspended Messi for 15 days and also withheld part of his salary.
On Friday, Messi apologized in a social media message to the club and his teammates for missing a training session.
“I thought we’d have the day off after the game as always,” Messi began in a 39-second clip he shared on his Instagram.
Messi could soon join his longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League
Messi posted a video apologizing for his unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia last week
“I arranged this trip and couldn’t cancel it. I canceled it before. I apologize to my teammates and I am waiting to see what the club wants to do with me.
The apology was accepted and after Messi missed PSG’s 3-1 win over Troyes on Sunday, he returned to training with them on Monday.
But despite an early return to PSG, Messi is set to leave this summer.
Fans gathered outside the club’s headquarters on Wednesday to chant for PSG’s board of directors to resign as well as calling for Messi to leave the club, with the Argentine also receiving taunts from supporters during recent matches.
PSG have been trying to extend his contract over the last few months but this is now uncertain after Monday’s events.
If Messi’s offer from Al-Hilal is worth £320m, it will exceed the £175m a year Ronaldo earns at Al-Nassr.
PSG tweeted a photo of Messi with the ball during training on Monday afternoon
The 35-year-old signed a £25m-a-year deal with Saudi Arabia last year to become a tourism ambassador
Messi’s mission will be to bring Al-Hilal back to the top of the Saudi Pro League and re-establish them as a dominant force in Asian football.
They are currently fourth in the national rankings, seven points behind second-placed Al-Nassrem and 10 points behind leader Al-Ittihad.
El Chiringuito reports that former Spain defensive midfielder Busquets, 34, will also move to Al-Nassr after accepting their proposal.
Busquets, who played alongside Messi for most of his career, is out of contract this summer and was reportedly unimpressed by Barcelona’s “very low” offer for an extension.
Missing Cash The Catalan side has huge financial problems that limit the salaries they can offer to players.
Long-time left-back Alba, 34, could also leave the Camp Nou and El Chiringuito has said he too will go to Al-Hilal if he agrees to terminate his Barcelona contract, which runs until the end of the year.
Sergio Busquets may have reunited with Messi at Al-Hilal after playing together in Barcelona
Jordi Alba is another Barcelona player who could be tempted to visit the Middle East this summer
