Saudi club Al-Hilal offers €700 million salary to Mbappe in record transfer bid
It seems like there is no stopping the Kylian Mbappe drama. After PSG left out the French superstar from their travelling squad for their pre-season game due to the contract feud, Saudi giants Al Hilal have submitted a formal bid for the player.
What
The last three summer transfer windows have had one particular thing which has remained constant: a Kylian Mbappe transfer drama. Mbappe's desire to play for Real Madrid has been no secret, dating back to his childhood when he idolized former superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, contractual commitments to Paris Saint Germain (PSG) have delayed the move, even with rumors swirling in previous summer transfer windows.
This year, the rumors have intensified as Mbappe declined contract renewal with PSG, hinting at a potential move to Madrid, especially with PSG's board expressing frustration and manager Luis Enrique looking to the future without him.
Amidst the drama, Saudi club Al Hilal has surprisingly entered the race to sign the Frenchman, vying for a significant upset to Madrid's plans once again.
Where did Al Hilal come from?
The Saudi Pro League has suddenly amped up as a new powerhold of football, ever since Al Nassr signed the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in December last year. The signing turned into a canon which led to many big names like Benzema, N’golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, etc making a move to Saudi. So, why are these big players moving to Saudi Arabia? The staggering money offers which are too good for the players to refuse at their age.
Al Hilal are amongst the top clubs in Saudi and so is their revenue. It is reported that The Saudi club made a formal bid worth €300 million to PSG for opening talks with Mbappe. This is a record bid ever received by the French Club. However, there still hasn't been any talks on the player’s side about the approach yet.
Will a move really happen?
The side to gain the most through this deal would certainly be PSG, but the likelihood of that is very minute. Mbappe is in the last year of his contract and he has already made it clear to the board that he would like to see the entirety of his contract out. This means that the team which is signing Mbappe next season, will get the chance of signing him for free.
That will be the worst possible business scenario for PSG as they might make no business from one of the world’s most expensive players in the transfer market.
Whereas, if Al Hilal indeed signs Mbappe, that will give them a hefty fee worth €300 million, which is exactly the kind of business they wish to make. The factor that might prove to be an obstacle in that scenario is the player himself.
Mbappe is currently 24-year-old and in his formidable prime and a move to Real Madrid,the most successful football club in the history of the game, is exactly the kind of achievement he would want on his portfolio. Whereas a move to Saudi would mean the entire opposite, which might not be the ideal path to take if he indeed wants to follow his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps.
On top of it all, Al Hilal have reportedly offered phenomenal salary to Mbappe worth €700 million, even if it is for one season. That indeed sounds dreamy fpr a any player, but leaving Europe Football at this stage of his career seems highly unlikely. But, the summer transfer window has provided numerous surprises over the years and this might just turn out to be its ultimate surprise.
The uncertainty grows more and more over Mbappe’s future with the star yet to make a decision official, much to the disappointment of his current club and teammates. The approach from Al Hilal and Real Madrid are now both on the table and the Frenchman is on cue to make his decisive move.