Al-Hilal reportedly have a contract ready for Lionel Messi that would see him overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid player on the planet.
Portuguese superstar Ronaldo completed a move to Saudi Arabia after being released by Manchester United as a free agent in November 2022, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner being handed a deal that is worth around £173 million ($214m) a year. That agreement has the 38-year-old comfortably sat at the top of the charts when it comes to most lucrative salaries.
Messi could, however, be in a position to overtake his eternal rival, with some big decisions about to be made on his future at club level. As things stands, the mercurial Argentine – who has seven Golden Balls to his name – is running down his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and heading towards free agency.
According to L’Equipe, the 2022 World Cup winner will need to lower his wage demands in order to thrash out an extension in France – with Financial Fair Play rules having to be taken into account. Messi is reportedly reluctant to slash his monthly pay cheque of €3.375m (£3m/$4m), especially as he has received a proposal from the Middle East that would make him the biggest-earning player to have ever played the game. goal.com
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