The Saudi government wants to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe for Al-Hilal and is prepared to give him a huge contract as reported by Foot Mercato.
According to The Athletic, PSG will receive an offer that would obliterate the world transfer record they set when signing Neymar from FC Barcelona in 2017 if interest from numerous teams in the Saudi Pro League is engaged.
Mbappe also moved to the French capital in said year when joining on loan from Monaco. The arrangement came with an obligation to purchase him for a €180 million ($200 million) fee 12 months down the line, therefore making the then-19-year-old football history’s most expensive teenager.
In spring 2022, when his five-year contract at the Parc des Princes was expiring, Mbappe looked set to sign for Real Madrid only to perform a shock U-turn and extend with PSG until 2024.
The extension comes with an optional season, but Mbappe has already informed his Qatari employers that he plans to walk next summer.
This has caused PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to issue a public ultimatum to the Russia 2018 winner which clearly outlined he must renew if he doesn’t want to be sold in the coming weeks.
On Friday, PSG put Mbappe up for sale as reported by various outlets, and dropped him from their Japanese tour for not meeting a July 15 deadline to commit his future to them.
Reporting the news, The Athletic said Mbappe has attracted interest from various outfits in the Saudi Pro League who are prepared to pay more than the €222 million ($247 million) PSG shelled out for Neymar six years ago.
At Foot Mercato in France, they explain that the Saudi government, which through the Public Investment Fund has control over four of the country’s biggest clubs, is ready to make the 24-year-old a huge offer to join Al-Hilal.
Al-Hilal missed out on Lionel Messi last month when the Argentine decided to snub both former club Barca and the Saudis’ reported €500 million ($556 million) a year proposal to join Inter Miami instead.
It is currently unclear whether Mbappe would be offered these kinds of figures by Al-Hilal, but his signing would be a major coup for a championship that already boasts Cristiano Ronaldo and Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema.
To tempt Mbappe, the package from the Middle East might have to exceed the €1 billion ($1.11 billion) across 10 years he was presented by PSG, in what would be sport’s highest-paid contract of all time, as reported by Defensa Central.
This would see Mbappe earn €100 million ($111 million) per term, and this offer or anything higher from Saudi Arabia would put the France international in a good position to knock Ronaldo off the top of Forbes’ list of The World’s Highest-Paid Athletes.
As things stand, though, Foot Mercato reports how Mbappe’s “official” position is that he wants to see out his PSG contract and stay until June 30, 2024 at least.
This would have him receive a loyalty bonus from PSG which MARCA have put as high as €170 million ($189 million), and then also a considerable signing-on fee from his next club ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
According to Sky Sports, PSG believe this is Real Madrid, who now might have to come in with a cash offer for Mbappe to avoid losing out on him once more.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomsanderson/2023/07/22/al-hilal-prepare-mbappe-offer-to-smash-psgs-world-transfer-record-reports/