Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal is going to offer Lionel Messi a contract worth up to £285 million a year. This would make Messi the highest-paid footballer in the world, passing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has only six months left on his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, so he can talk to clubs outside of France before he could leave for free in the summer.

With Al Hilal playing in the Club World Cup, which takes place in Morocco from February 1–11, there are rumours that the Saudi team could try to sign Messi even sooner.

L’Equipe says that the Argentine hasn’t signed a new deal with Parc des Princes, and that the deal he supposedly has with MLS team Inter Miami hasn’t been signed either.

Mundo Deportivo says that Ali Hilal are ready to offer Messi the huge amount of money. This comes just a few weeks after Cristiano Ronaldo signed a £173 million contract with Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Nassr. Al-Nassr is currently in first place in the top league, ahead of Al Hilal, who won both the Saudi and Asian Champions Leagues last year.

Matches between Al Hilal and Al-Nassr are seen as Saudi Arabia’s version of El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid. With Ronaldo already at one, their rivalry from the 2010s could be rekindled in the Middle East if Messi moves.

Messi is also connected to Saudi Arabia because in 2022 he became an ambassador for their “Visit Saudi” tourism campaign.

With the country preparing a joint bid with Egypt and Greece for the 2030 World Cup, Messi’s image rights could make it more likely for the three countries to host the tournament.

Messi and PSG will go to Saudi Arabia next week to play against an all-star team made up of Al-Nassr and Al Hilal players. The exhibition game will be held on Thursday, January 19, at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.

Mundo Deportivo said that Al Hilal is likely to make an offer to Messi either before or after the game.