Report: Lionel Messi Prefers To Return To Barcelona On A Low Salary Over Saudi Arabia Move
On Monday, there was a lot of chatter about Lionel Messi potentially moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer to join Al Hilal.
Some reports claimed that the Argentine had already reached an agreement to sign for them while it was also suggested that he would potentially be joined by Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets in the Middle East.
People close to his camp dismissed those speculations, but the possibility of a move to Al Hilal remained a strong one as Barcelona were said to be in a difficult situation with regard to their Financial Fair Play issues.
But, overnight, it emerged that La Liga have given their approval to the Blaugrana’s economic viability plan to re-sign Messi, as long as they make at least €100 million from player sales.
And, Xavi Torres (via Onze TV3) reiterated that Messi was not thinking about a move to Al Hilal at this point as he does not wish to end his career in Saudi Arabia.
Instead, the Argentina captain continues to prefer a return to Barcelona on a low salary over a potential move to the Middle East.
The Blaugrana, for their part, had been asking the 35-year-old for patience over the past month as they worked things out with La Liga to address their Fair Play problems, which they seemingly have done.
La Liga president Javier Tebas had warned that Messi’s return to Barça would only be possible if his salary is much lower than his current one at PSG.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner pockets around €40 million per year at the Ligue 1 outfit and his salary, should he return to Barcelona, is expected to be much lesser.
It has been suggested that the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner could be handed a contract worth €25 million per year by the La Liga leaders, part of which will include a percentage of the profits his return to the club would generate.
Only time will tell if Barcelona fans get to see Messi back in the club’s colours next season. But if the latest reports are to be believed, there seems to be reason for optimism.
