When will Lionel Messi decide on his next club? Will he go to MLS or Saudi Arabia?

Lionel Messi will decide on his future over the coming hours - at most, days. At the moment there are two offers on the table for the Argentine: one from Saudi Arabi and one from Miami. Over the past few days, the idea of going to MLS has become a reality for the player, and it is something that appeals due to the possibility of both him and his family being able to live somewhere safe and confortable.

The other option, in the middle-east, is a much more lucrative one, offering him a lot more money as well as power: Messi would take on a role within something of a State project that the government have set up with him and Cristiano Ronaldo as the poster boys.

Will Messi go back to Barça? It seems unlikely

What does seem more unlikely, save for a huge surprise at the last second, is a return to Fútbol Club Barcelona. The economic problems that the club are suffering make his LaLiga registration all but impossible, and Messi would like very much not to repeat the unpleasant situation of a few years back, which ultimately saw him leave Spain for France.

The player’s wish is to continue in Europe, but the necessary circumstances have not unfolded. One Premier League club did enquire about the situation of the player, but their interest never went any further, leaving Messi’s only options on other shores.

What are the benefits of a move to MLS?

Miami and Saudi Arabia both have their pros and cons for Leo: in the case of MLS, the long-distance travelling is a turn-off as they would separate Messi from his family for large periods of time. As for Saudi Arabia, the fact of living in a country so far from Messi’s own football culture makes the decision difficult for one of the best players of all time.

As things stand, it will be whatever club he chooses that announces the decision on where Messi ends up next, once the player himself has made up his mind. For now, after leaving PSG, Leo is debating the options he has in order to seal the deal as soon as possible before the call-up to the Argentina squad in Asia which will signa the end of what has been a topsy-turvy season in the player’s career.