Football fans across the world have wondered whether Al Hilal will attempt to sign Lionel Messi in the summer, after Al Nassr wrapped up a deal to sign former Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in January.
For almost two decades, the two all-time greats have been pitted against each other as 2 of arguably the greatest players of all time.
Now, the question is whether Al Hilal and Al Nassr could reignite the rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo in the same league once again.
How much more could Al Hilal pay Messi to sign him after Al Nassr complete Ronaldo deal?
Mundo Deportivo have reported that Al Hilal are eyeing a mega-deal for Lionel Messi in the summer of 2023, after Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr at the turn of the year.
Furthermore, Al Hilal are prepared to pay Messi a staggering £247 million ($300 million) per year to convince him to join the club.
For context, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to take home a whopping £175 million (Sport Bible) per year at Al Nassr, which means a potential deal involving Lionel Messi and Al Hilal would make him the highest-paid footballer in history.
Interestingly, the report also suggests that Al Hilal plan to sign Messi from PSG, as their broader plan is to bring in the legend of the game to promote Saudi Arabian football globally.
It seems as if the same strategy was in mind in the cases of Al Nassr when they signed Ronaldo earlier this year.
Will Messi join the Saudi Arabian club?
Well, it’s impossible to make such a prediction for the time being.
However, Fabrizio Romano reported a couple of weeks ago that Lionel Messi and PSG had reached a verbal agreement over signing a contract extension.
As a result, it seems unlikely that Messi and Ronaldo will play against each other at Al Hilal and Al Nassr anytime soon.
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