Whilst, according to L’Équipe, a Saudi Arabian club is willing to hand Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi (35) up to €600m per year to join, Barcelona may only be able to offer €23m per year to repatriate their former forward, according to the latest report from the French publication.
According to L’Équipe, the Argentinian international is currently earning €25m net per year at PSG, down on the estimated €61m per year that he was earning in his final years at Barcelona. However, Messi’s future seemingly doesn’t lie at the Parc des Princes. Whilst the player’s father, Jorge Messi, has stated that no decision on his future will be made until the end of the season, the French press are unanimous in linking him with a summer departure from the Ligue 1 club.
The 2022 World Champion would reportedly earn between €500m-€600m over the course of a two-year spell should he join the Saudi top-flight. The deal would include an option for a third year. However, the offer from his former club Barcelona wouldn’t be so lucrative, and according to L’Équipe, would be worth significantly less than what he was earning when he left the Camp Nou two years ago.
The Catalan club would need to fund Messi’s return with sale and a significant decrease of their current wage bill. Barcelona would be looking to earn around €120m in player sales this summer. Franck Kessié and Ansu Fati are amongst those that the club would potentially be looking to offload. They are hoping that such sales will allow them to bring Messi back to the club on an annual salary of around €23m.
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
