Lionel Messi to accept offer to join Saudi club Al Hilal after PSG deal expires

Lionel Messi will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer and will accept a proposal from Al Hilal to play in Saudi Arabia next season, El Chiringuito reports.

A source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN's Mark Ogden last month that Messi was considering a move to Al Hilal, the city rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, when his PSG contract expires at the end of the season.

The 35-year-old signed a two-year deal with PSG on his arrival from Barcelona in 2021, but sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens last week that Messi will leave PSG despite there being an agreement made in principal before the World Cup in Qatar to extend his stay at the club.

Last week the club suspended Messi for two weeks without pay after he missed training to travel to Saudi Arabia. On Friday, Messi released a video on his Instagram account to apologise to the club and his teammates for the incident, which caused tension in the dressing room with some players unhappy.

El Chiringuito reports that Messi will now accept an offer from Al Hilal, the reigning champions of the Saudi Pro League. The report adds that Messi's former Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets is set to join him at Al Hilal as a free agent, while Jordi Alba will also make the move if he can agree a deal to end his Barca contract.

Messi's former club Barca and Major League Soccer team Inter Miami have both publicly stated that they would be open to signing Messi if they make a deal work.