Lionel Messi and several of his former teammates appear to be on their way to Saudi Arabia.

The Argentine legend has reportedly agreed to a deal with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, according to Spanish soccer outlet El Chiringuito.

Messi had reportedly initially requested a staggering $662 million per season, but the two sides reportedly settled on $386.5 million, which would still easily make him the highest-paid athlete in the world — ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi side Al-Nassr for a reported $220 million per year.

According to El Chiringuito, Messi’s former Barcelona teammates — Jordi Alba and current captain Sergio Busquets — are also planning to join Al-Hilal.

Messi and Busquets become free agents on June 30, while Alba will have to rescind his current deal, which ends in mid-2024.

The mass exodus from Europe to the Middle East is far from a sure thing, though, with both Barça and Messi’s current club Paris Saint-Germain doing everything they can to retain their talent.

For Messi’s part, he’s reportedly just focusing on winning Ligue 1 for PSG before reevaluating his options at the end of the season, according to soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, who believes Al-Hilal’s offer to be in excess of $440 million per season — more in line with last week’s reported offer of about $400 million per year.

Last week, Messi finished second in Forbes’ list of 2023 highest-paid athletes at $130 million; Ronaldo finished first with $136 million.

City Football Group is strengthening its grip on global soccer by adding a 13th club to its portfolio. 

The holding company has completed its acquisition of a 90% stake in first-tier Brazilian soccer club Esporte Clube Bahia in a deal reportedly valued at $200 million. Bahia marks CFG’s second-largest club investment after Manchester City, according to The Athletic.

City Football Group’s international soccer conglomerate spans clubs on every continent except Africa. Its flagship club remains Premier League champions Manchester City, but its other clubs include MLS’ NYCFC, Australia’s Melbourne City FC, and French Ligue 1 side Troyes AC.

Bahia, which plays in Brasileiro Série A, had been in talks with CFG since last year. The remaining 10% of the team will be owned by elected club administrators. 

Manchester City is valued around $4.25 billion, ranking among the world’s most valuable soccer clubs. 

The UAE royal family’s Abu Dhabi United Group owns an 81% majority stake in CFG, and about 18% of the company is owned by the private equity firm Silver Lake.

The top potential earner from name, image, and likeness has committed to USC.

Bronny James — who boasts an annual NIL earning potential of $5.9 million, per On3 —  announced over the weekend that he intends to be a Trojan.

Between his famous father and his own basketball acumen, the 6’3 guard has built a gargantuan social media following — 7 million on Instagram and almost 5 million on TikTok.

The Cleveland native has deals with some of the biggest brands in the NIL space, including a long-term partnership with Nike and the first-ever high school deal with Beats by Dre — two companies also affiliated with LeBron James. While college athletes don’t need to rep the same sponsors as their teams, USC is conveniently a Nike school.

James was also in a commercial for Fast X. His first NIL endeavor was for PSD Underwear.

High School of Champions

James is currently a senior at Sierra Canyon School in Los Angeles — a private school that’s become famous over the past five years for celebrity students and a powerhouse athletic program. The school has even been name-dropped in Drake’s 2021 song “Papi’s Home.”

In addition to James, the boy’s basketball team has also boasted Marvin Bagley III and Zaire Wade. The girl’s team currently features senior stud JuJu Watkins, who inked a Nike deal alongside Bronny and will also play at USC this fall.