Messi-PSG, divorce in sight: destination Saudi Arabia?

Leo Messi will not continue in Paris Saint-Germain the next season. His last promotional trip to Saudi Arabiajust one day after the defeat against Lorient in Ligue 1 (1-3), has ended up exhausting the patience of the French club, which decided to penalize the striker with a two-week suspension of employment and salary – without being able to play or train-.

The Argentine quickly apologized and PSG lifted his punishment, but the truth is that Leo is already sentenced. Messi is also not comfortable in the Parisian entity, controlled by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund through Qatar Sports Investment (QSI), and will not renew his contractwhich ends on June 30.

Several clubs are emerging as possible destinations for Rosario, who will be 36 years old on June 24: the FC Barcelonahe Inter Miami American Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia. The truth is that Messi’s return to Barça seems frankly impossible, taking into account both the very delicate economic situation that the club is going through, in the middle of construction work on the Espai Barça and involved in the controversy of the Negreira case, as well as the financial fair play.

Nor does it seem very likely that Messi could join the MLS, despite the efforts that David Beckham -owner of Inter Miami- is putting in it, for what the Al-Hilal would appear at this moment as the most probable destination for Leo. The Saudi club, based in Riyadh and which was Real Madrid’s rival in the Club World Cup final held last February in Morocco, would be willing to pay the Argentine a whopping 400 million euros clean per year, taking into account that Saudi Arabia offers players not to have the obligation to pay personal taxes and thus save tax on the income they generate, unlike what happens in other countries (such as Spain).

That 400 million is an amount just twice the 200 million that Cristiano Ronaldo He receives in Al-Nasser, Al-Hilal’s great rival in the Saudi League, so that bitter CR7-Messi duel could be repeated five years later, but in another minor championship.

However, from Leo Messi’s environment they rush to ensure that “there is absolutely nothing with any club for next year”. “The decision will never be made before Lionel finishes the League with PSG. Once the season is over, it will be time to analyze and see what there is, and then make a decision,” said the player’s father and representative, Jorge Messiin a statement on his Instagram account.

“There are always rumors and many use the name of Lionel to gain notoriety, but the truth is only one and we can assure that there is nothing with anyone,” stresses Jorge Messi, who makes it “very clear” that there is “nothing even verbal, neither signed nor agreed”. “And there won’t be until the season ends. It seems to me a lack of respect for the media where they respond, that there are those who consciously and deliberately deceive, without providing any proof of their claims,” ​​lamented Messi’s father.