Al

Al-Hilal have increased their offer to Lionel Messi according to a Catalan businessman.

Al-Hilal have improved their Lionel Messi salary offer to more than $500 million a year according to Catalan businessman Jaume Roures.

Roures, who is the owner of Mediapro, endorsed FC Barcelona's current president Joan Laporta when he put up €30 million ($32.5 million) in guarantees so that Laporta could be installed after winning the election in 2021.

Then, in the summer of 2022, Roures came to the club's rescue by purchasing 24.5% of Barca Studios for €100 million ($108 million) which became known as a fourth 'economic lever'.

The levers famously helped Barca sign new players such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha. They have collectively contributed to Barca winning a first La Liga crown in four years, and now that the Catalans are officially champions, attention has turned to reinforcements for the 2023/2024 season.

Chief among their priorities in the transfer market is the club's greatest-ever player Lionel Messi, whose Paris Saint Germain expires on June 30.

During an appearance on Cadena SER and its Qué t'hi jugues programme on Wednesday night, well-informed Roures talked about the possibility of Messi returning for a second stint in Blaugrana and revealed information about Al-Hilal's pursuit of the Argentine.

"I think it's possible that he will come back, even though the Saudis have upped the ante to over $500 million a year," Roures said.

"The experience in Paris has not been satisfying, and everyone has seen how Cristiano is doing in Saudi Arabia and how bad he is going through it. Leo has always said that he wanted to return to Barcelona and this is a factor that weighs [heavily]," Roures added.

While El Nacional predicted that the operation will speed up a month from now, Roures expects strong developments much sooner.

"In May? I think so, it will have to be decided in May," he stated.

Both Messi's father and agent Jorge Messi, through an official statement, and Al-Hilal, to Mundo Deportivo, have denied that there is any agreement in place between the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and the Saudis despite El Chiringuito reporting the 35-year-old has accepted an offer of €350 million ($377 million) a year.

If the offers the Spanish football programme and Roures speak of are concrete, however, and Messi accepts, he would automatically head Forbes' list of the World's Highest-Paid athletes in 2024 which Cristiano Ronaldo topped this year as Messi finished second.

Meanwhile back at Barca, Laporta has vowed to do "everything" to re-sign Messi, who will be offered €25 million ($27 million) a year there according to SPORT.