Lionel Messi’s father shares an update on star footballer joining Saudi club

Messi’s contract with Paris Saint-Germain runs until the end of June, and his father Jorge Messi said nothing will be decided before PSG’s season finishes on June 3.

“There are always rumors and many use the name of Lionel to gain notoriety but there’s only one truth and we can assure you that there is nothing with anyone,” Jorge Messi posted on his Instagram account. “Neither verbal, nor signed, nor agreed, and there won’t be anything until the end of the season.”

The guessing game escalated Tuesday into where the World Cup winner from Argentina will play next season. Staying at PSG seems the most unlikely outcome, while Inter Miami in Major League Soccer is also chasing the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

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“There’s absolutely no agreement with any club for next season,” he wrote on Instagram. “The decision won’t be taken prior to Lionel finish(ing) the season with PSG. We will assess the situation at the end of the season.”

Both Barcelona and Al Hilal clearly want Messi, who turns 36 next month and also wants to keep playing for Argentina. South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup starts in September, with Argentina at home against Ecuador.

Messi’s trip last week to Saudi Arabia — and subsequent suspension by PSG for the unauthorized absence — has re-ignited talk he will play in the Middle Eastern country if he leaves the French capital as expected. One French media report claimed Messi has agreed to a massive deal with an unnamed Saudi club worth at least 500 million euros ($548 million).

PSG declined to comment when asked by The Associated Press if there is an agreement in place for Messi to leave the club.

Messi was linked with a move to Riyadh-based Saudi club Al Hilal last month, the same city where Ronaldo’s team, Al Nassr, is located.

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a blockbuster deal, a source close to the negotiations in the kingdom told AFP on Tuesday.

The deal would mean Messi potentially joins his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi league as the Gulf state lavishes its oil wealth on sport.

There was no confirmation from Messi’s current club Paris Saint-Germain, who noted simply that he was under contract until June 30 when contacted by AFP.

The source said Messi will sign a “huge” deal with an as-yet-unnamed Saudi club just months after the 35-year-old lifted the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar in December.

“Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season,” said the source, who is not authorised to speak to media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The contract is exceptional. It’s huge. We are just finalising some small details,” added the source.

A separate PSG source said the Qatar-owned French club had not offered Messi a new deal.

“If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done earlier,” that source said.