Lionel Messi has reportedly turned down the opportunity to rejoin FC Barcelona and has instead agreed to join Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming summer season, According to El Chiringuito.
El Chiringuito also reports that Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets will be joining Messi at Al-Hilal. Initially, Messi had requested $662 million to join the Saudi Club.
Messi’s camp have since then reportedly accepted a deal of $386 million from Al-Hilal.
🚨 MESSI JUGARÁ EN ARABIA SAUDÍ 🚨
💣 EXCLUSIVA @elchiringuitotv y @marsallorente
🙌🏻 El argentino aceptará la propuesta del Al Hilal.
👉🏻 Busquets también aceptará una oferta por dos temporadas del club árabe y Jordi Alba irá si acuerda la rescisión con el Barça. pic.twitter.com/ZsNlO0CnGq
— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) May 8, 2023
The news, if true, is a significant setback for Barcelona, who were hoping to bring back their star player and extend Busquets’ contract.
While El Chiringuito’s information has not been officially confirmed, Messi and Busquets’ contracts with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Barcelona respectively expire on June 30.
Last week, the Argentinian football star posted a video on Twitter apologizing to his club for missing a training session.
At the time of the Monday training session, the player was on a promotional trip to Saudi Arabia as part of his sponsorship commitments. In the video, he explains that he was not aware that the training session was taking place.
The news would also be major for the Saudi league and the country’s footballing scene, which received significant international attention earlier this year when Saudi club Al-Nassr FC landed the services of Cristiano Ronaldo in a deal reportedly worth around $200 million a year.
