Al Hilal had 'private jets waiting in Paris to whisk Lionel Messi to Riyadh' before seven-time Ballon d'Or winner SNUBBED the Saudi Pro League and Barcelona for Inter Miami 

Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal reportedly 'had private jets waiting in Paris' to fly Lionel Messi back to Riyadh. 

Much speculation has been circulating over his next move, with the seven-time Ballon dO'r winner being heavily linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

But today it appears that he will snub a gigantic £2billion move to Saudi Arabia and a transfer back to his former club Barcelona, with Fabrizio Romano reporting today that the 35-year-old will instead announce a move to Inter Miami instead 'in the coming hours.' 

It also appears, according to CBS Sports, that Al-Hilal reportedly 'had private jets waiting in Paris for Messi and in Barcelona for his father Jorge' ready to take the pair to Riyadh.

It comes as Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema also completed a move to the Saudi Pro League this week, joining up with Al-Ittihad in an enormous £258million deal that will see the 35-year-old join for three years and earn a whopping £86m per season.  

Lionel Messi looks set to join David Beckham's side Inter Miami instead of opting for a move to Al Hilal

It looks like he'll also be joined by his compatriot and fellow World Cup winner N'Golo Kante who today completed a medical in London ahead of a move to Al-Ittihad. 

The Chelsea midfielder is set to join the club for two years on a contract that is worth £172m. 

Landing Messi, arguably the best footballer of the generation, could have capped off what's been a huge week for the country, following LIV Golf's seismic merger with the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. 

LIV was initially launched and is operated by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Mail Sport reported earlier this week that the PIF would take 75 per cent control over the Saudi Pro League's top four clubs: Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal. 

Messi's long-standing rival, Cristiano Ronaldo is also currently plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, after moving to the club on a £175-million-per-year contract back in December last year.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has also been linked with a move to join Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, on a three-year deal that could be worth a whopping £45m (£15m-per-year).

But it seems Messi will not be moving to Saudi Arabia to once again play against his old adversary, Ronaldo. As it stands, he is also unlikely to make a reunion with his former club Barcelona, despite much speculation that he could make a fairy-tale return to the Catalan giants. 

The Argentine World Cup winner departed the club back in 2021, joining Paris Saint-Germain to unite with his former team-mate, Neymar, on a deal worth £35m per year. 

He looks set to join David Beckham's Inter Miami on what could be another lucrative deal for the 35-year-old, which could include collaborations and deals with some world renowned brands. 

Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague said of the proposed deal with the MLS side: 'He's got a very interesting proposal from Inter Miami, which includes other brands like Adidas and Apple all put together to make his brand a bit bigger.'

The four-time Champions League winner's imminent arrival in Florida has also seen ticket prices for Inter Miami rise to astronomical prices. 

The club currently sit bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference, but tickets for their game against New York Red Bulls in August have risen to over £241 ($300) per ticket - a 1400 percent inflation.