Al Hilal want to sign Barcelona veteran duo to convince Messi, have sent contract offers

The future of Lionel Messi continues to generate a lot of rumours and speculations in the media as his contract with PSG edges to expiry. The 35-year-old’s current deal runs down on June 30, after which he is expected to depart the French capital outfit.

Barcelona have positioned themselves as one of the most likely destinations for their former captain. But given their Financial Fair Play situation, nothing is certain at this point and they will not move ahead with the operation until La Liga approves their economic plan.

Taking advantage of the situation, Saudi Arabian giants Al Hilal have been pushing to sign Messi. Reports have suggested that the Middle East outfit are ready to offer the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner an outrageous €400 million per year contract.

Now, journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi is reporting that in order to convince Messi to join them Al Hilal are also trying to sign Barcelona veteran duo Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba and have sent contract offers for the pair as well.

Busquets’ current contract with Barça expires on June 30 and the midfielder is yet to make a decision on his next move. The Catalans have tabled a one-year extension with an option of an additional twelve months as Xavi is keen to keep him at the club.

However, Busquets is yet to take a call on his next destination, although a decision is expected over the next couple of weeks. It has been reported that his future could be closely tied with that of Messi.

Apart from Busquets, Al Hilal have also offered a contract to Jordi Alba, whose current deal at Barcelona runs until 2024, but the club are open to parting ways with him due to his massive wages for next season.

Messi, Alba and Busquets are very good friends and recent reports had suggested that the trio plan to play at Barcelona for the next season before moving to Saudi Arabia. But those plans could now move forward by one year if Barça cannot re-sign Messi.

Apart from Alba and Busquets, Al Hilal are also planning to make a contract offer to Messi’s current PSG teammate Marco Verratti in hope that the signing of those players can convince the Argentina skipper to sign for them.

However, as reported by Gerard Romero, the 35-year-old has doubts about a move to the Middle East nation due to several factors and has not accepted any offer for them. As for Barcelona, they continue to work to try and re-sign their former captain.

Only time will tell what happens in this saga, but Al Hilal are not going down without a fight as they look to rekindle the Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry in Saudi Arabia, with the latter playing for Al Hilal.