Lionel Messi may be on the verge of a financially seismic move to Saudi Arabia.
The Paris Saint-Germain star is in talks with the Saudi Arabian government over a potential free agent deal worth as much as $400 million (£320 million) per year, according to The Telegraph. Messi's current contract with PSG is set to expire this summer.
Reportedly involved in negotiations are Messi's father Jorge and former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook.
Such a contract would shatter the largest known salary among all world athletes, and far exceed the nine-figure deal the country used to land Messi's rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, last year. Even during his prime, Messi's own annual income from FC Barcelona "only" came in around $167 million per year, according to a leaked contract.
Messi already has an established history of working with the region's oil states, which are well-known for using sports to try to overcome their atrocious human rights record on the world stage. He has worked since May 2022 as a Saudi tourism ambassador and has played for PSG, which is owned by Qatar Sports Investments, since 2021.
