Saudi Arabia announced Messi as its tourism ambassador last year and the Argentine visited Jeddah in May, before returning in January to play in a friendly played by Paris Saint-Germain against a team of Saudi Arabian League stars, where they faced his great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo's deal with Al-Nasr has led to rumors of a "renewal" of his rivalry with Lionel Messi in the Saudi Arabian league after local media reported Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad's interest in the Argentine world champion.

Huge suggestion for Messi

Website "Saudi Sport" reported that Al-Hilal had already made a "huge offer" for him to join their team once his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires in June.

Al-Ittihad fans chanted Messi's name at a match on Friday and club president Anmar Al-Khaeli referred to Lionel Messi in a video last week, saying "God willing, the deal needs time and settlement".

At the same time, the Argentinian, former international forward, Ramon Dias, coach of Al-Hilal, told reporters: "Ronaldo's presence makes us believe that Messi can also come to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabian football is growing significantly and seems capable of attracting the biggest footballers.'