Lionel Messi tipped to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia with deal worth reported $645m

PSG's Lionel Messi gestures as he warms up before the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient. Photo / AP

Lionel Messi is reportedly set to earn £320 million (NZ$645m) a year as part of a new deal with the Saudi Pro League, where he would join a rival club of Cristiano Ronaldo’s side.

The Telegraph reports the Saudi Arabian government is set to offer Messi the most lucrative salary deal in the history of football to lure him to the Saudi Pro League.

Messi was suspended by Paris Saint-Germain for taking a trip to Saudi Arabia without the club’s permission earlier this week.

A two-week suspension would mean Messi would miss PSG’s next two games. L’Equipe and RMC Sport both reported the suspension without citing sources.

The Telegraph reports that talks with Messi’s representatives, led by his father Jorge, are underway. His deal with PSG ends in June and he isn’t expected to remain in France.

It’s unknown which Saudi Pro League team Messi would join but it’s likely it would be Al-Hilal, the rival club of Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side.

According to Forbes.com, Ronaldo is the top earning sportsperson in the world at US$136m, $46m of that in on-field earnings. Messi was second on the list at US$130m for the last 12 months. Messi has earned US$1.15 billion (NZ$1.85b) during his career on-and-off the field, according to Forbes.

The 35-year-old Messi has a commercial contract with Saudi Arabia to promote tourism in the Middle Eastern country.

The suspension comes at a delicate time as the French club had hoped to extend the Argentine star’s contract beyond this season.

Messi’s trip followed PSG’s surprise 3-1 loss to Lorient on Sunday, leaving the defending champions with a five-point lead over Marseille with five games left in the season. Messi played the full game.

The forward joined PSG from Barcelona two years ago on hopes he could lead the team to an elusive Champions League title. Instead, the Qatari-backed club was eliminated in the round of 16 in consecutive seasons.

The has been speculation about where he would play next, especially after reports that contract talks with PSG had broken down. Some PSG fans have even booed Messi amid the team’s inconsistent campaign.

Messi led Argentina to the World Cup title in December. He’s scored 15 league goals and leads the French league with 15 assists.

Messi hasn’t commented publicly about the suspension on his social media accounts.

- With AP