Lionel Messi's £522 million move to Saudi Arabia is a "done deal"

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season under a "huge" deal, a source with knowledge of the negotiations told AFP on Tuesday.

"Messi is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia next season," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity and without naming the club.

"The contract is exceptional. It's huge. We are just finalising some small details," the source added.

Asked about the comments, Messi's current club Paris Saint-Germain simply noted that he remains under contract until June 30.

A separate PSG source said: "If the club had wanted to renew his contract, it would have been done earlier."

The 35-year-old World Cup winner was suspended by Qatari-owned PSG last week for an unauthorised trip to Saudi, where he is a tourism ambassador.

Messi's expected arrival in the oil-rich kingdom follows in the footsteps of his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in a massive deal in January.

The deal with Saudi side Al-Hilal is believed to be worth a whopping £522 million, making it one of the most expensive contracts in the history of sports.

Ronaldo's agreement to June 2025 is said to total more than 400 million euros ($439million), making him the world's highest paid athlete according to Forbes.

His former Barcelona colleagues Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have both been touted as transfer targets for Al Hilal, who have former Manchester United and Watford striker Odion Ighalo on their books.

Al Hilal are fourth in the Saudi Pro League but are in the King Cup of Champions final against Al Wehda on Friday.

Manager Ramon Diaz was asked about a potential mega move for Messi and remained tight-lipped on the matter.

“Now we are focused on the game; we have a final," Diaz replied.