Saudi Arabian giants open talks with Lionel Messi over 2026 move | OneFootball

Lionel Messi is likely entering the final contract or two of his career, and Saudi Arabia hope that they will be third time lucky with the Argentina legend. The Inter Miami playmaker will no doubt have the 2026 World Cup on his mind as he makes his next choices.

It was reported in recent weeks that Saudi Arabia had arranged a meeting for the President of Al-Hilal to meet with his camp. Meanwhile Inter Miami have been in talks with Messi about extending his contract, and insist that everything is on track for Messi to go into the World Cup next summer as a resident of Florida. It certainly will not hurt that Inter Miami are in talks to bring in one of his best friends and teammates from the Argentina international side.

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Al-Ahli enter the race for Messi

Saudi Arabia will be abundantly aware of what the prospect of pitting Messi against Cristiano Ronaldo one final time in their careers would do for their product, and L’Equipe say that Al-Ahli have entered the race for Messi’s signature. That report is quoted by Marca, and it goes on to say that the ACL champions are in talks with his camp over a possible move.

Saudi Arabia hoping Messi move comes good

Saudi Arabia have tried to sign Messi before, on both occasions when he left Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Messi is currently an ambassador for the Saudi Tourism Board on a long-term contract until 2030 too, which bolsters his accounts significantly.

Messi’s World Cup preparation

There had been some suggestion that Messi might consider a return to Europe, and a more competitive league in which to sharpen his mind in preparation for the World Cup. However at 38 years of age, he may feel that he is best off preserving his legs for a burst of several weeks, rather than going back to a higher level of football.