Lionel Messi has received offers from a pair of big European clubs according to the Spanish media.
Lionel Messi has received offers from two big European clubs in the past few hours, according to AS.
The Argentine is football's most desired future free agent with current employers Paris Saint-Germain announcing at the weekend that he will not continue with them past the expiry of his contract on June 30.
Up until now, Messi has been most strongly linked with a return to boyhood outfit FC Barcelona or trying something new at Al-Hilal in the Saudi Arabia or Inter Miami in the United States.
Footmercato reported on Sunday that Messi had accepted a €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion), two-year offer from Al Hilal.
According to GOAL, however, Messi then requested that a potential move is put off until 2024 which increases the likelihood of him returning to Barca after their viability plan explaining how they can make the coup happen financially was given the green light by La Liga.
On the same day that Gerard Romero reported that Al-Hilal have increased their offer to Messi, which would put him in line to top Forbes' list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes once more, fellow transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano tweeted that sources close to the Saudi club told him the original €500 million ($534 million) a season offer reported in April has not altered.
Meanwhile, however, AS reports that the past hours have seen two big European clubs come forward with offers and provide Messi with fourth and fifth options as per his next destination.
The names of the two new clubs in question have not yet been revealed, but it is believed they could come from the Premier
Manchester City previously registered interest in signing Messi in 2021 when he famously tried to engineer a move away from Barca after a falling out with then-president Josep Bartomeu.
In recent times, El Nacional reported that City's crosstown rivals Manchester United would like to sign the 35-year-old and his PSG teammate Neymar who could be sold this summer.
Other clubs in the English flight that could possibly afford to pay Messi's wages include Chelsea and Saudi-backed Newcastle United who are owned by the same Public Investment Fund which has now taken over Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahlli and Al-Nassr where generational rival Cristiano Ronaldo now plies his trade.
Ronaldo topped Forbes' list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes with earnings of $136 million thanks to his January switch from Manchester United.
Messi finished second with $130 million evenly split on-field and off-field, but the fact he is approaching his 36th birthday means that he probably won't be able to command anything approaching $65 million a year on the Old Continent.
Barca for example were reported as being ready to offer him €25 million ($27.5 million) a term on a two-season deal by SPORT.