'Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season' - source

Reports now say that Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star Lionel Messi will play in Saudi Arabia next season.

A source familiar with the negotiations has told AFP that the deal will 'huge'.

"The departure of the Argentine footballer is a done deal. He will play in Saudi Arabia," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A source from PSG said that Messi's contract with the Parisian club runs until June 30, and that if the club wanted to renew the contract, "it would have been done earlier."

Earlier this month, a source close to Argentina's World Cup-winning captain told Reuters that he had received a formal offer to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal.

The offer from the Saudi club is the only one Messi has received so far, the source added. Argentine media have reported that the offer is worth around $400 million a year.

Al-Hilal did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside of normal business hours.

The 35-year-old Messi has also been linked in the media with a move back to boyhood club Barcelona, with the United States' Major League Soccer club Inter Miami also being touted as a possible destination.

Last week PSG suspended him after making an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.

Messi is a Saudi ambassador for tourism and his long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, signed for Saudi club Al-Nassr in December in a deal reported to be worth around $220 million per year.