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Saudi Arabian soccer team Al-Hilal made a record 300 million Euro ($332 million) bid for Kylian Mbappe on Monday after they were unsuccessful in acquiring Lionel Messi. If accepted, the France attacker would join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich country.
PSG acknowledged the bid for its player and authorized Al-Hilal to approach Mbappe personally to begin talks.
The 2018 World Cup winner and PSG are at odds over his contract after he declined to exercise his right to a 12-month extension. As a free agent at the conclusion of the upcoming season, when he is presumably going to sign with Real Madrid, he intends to leave instead.
Mbappe was removed from PSG’s preseason tour of Japan on Saturday because the French club is set on selling him unless he agrees to a new deal.
With the 24-year-old Mbappe and PSG’s relationship growing more heated, a new contract currently appears to be exceedingly doubtful.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has tried to enter international sports through bribery. In addition to Ronaldo, whose deal reportedly pays him up to $200 million annually, Saudi-funded LIV Golf has revolutionized the sport of golf.
These moves are part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to use the oil wealth of the nation to create new jobs and opportunities for Saudi youngsters. However, detractors have labeled the initiatives as “sportswashing,” an attempt to use professional sports to improve the kingdom’s reputation while it continues to be one of the world’s most notorious executioners and wage a protracted war in Yemen.
Messi turned down an offer from Al-Hilal earlier this year and joined Inter Miami instead.
Kylian Mbappe becomes the most expensive Player in History
Earlier this year, Al-Hilal failed to sign Messi, with the Argentina great choosing to join Inter Miami instead. The bid for Mbappe would make him the most expensive soccer player in history, overtaking the $262 million PSG paid for Neymar, who joined from Barcelona in 2017.
So far the offer represents Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious move determined to entice the best footballers to the oil-rich country.
Saudi teams have intensified their pursuit of prominent players from Europe’s top leagues since Ronaldo decided to join Al-Nassr in December. N’Golo Kante, the 2018 World Cup champion, and former Real Madrid star, and current Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema joined Saudi champion Al-Ittihad last month.
Even though it wasn’t enough to persuade Messi to leave PSG and go with Al-Hilal, more players are anticipated to follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo and the company.
Ronaldo, Benzema, and Kante could make a total of close to $1 billion from their reported salary and endorsement deals.
Mbappe has stated that he intends to complete the remaining year of his contract, rendering PSG helpless to stop him from departing for free the next year.
Read also: Lionel Messi Crowned Sportsman of the Year, 2022
The Qatar Sports Investments-owned French champions, who have already watched Messi depart for little in return, are determined to get paid for a player who is viewed as one of the very few capable of unseating Messi and Ronaldo as soccer’s biggest stars.
If he declines to sign a contract or decides to leave during this transfer window, he may be benched next season, as evidenced by his exclusion from PSG’s touring team in Japan.
Read: Kylian Mbappe wins World Cup Golden Boot award, beating Messi
Numerous teams, including Al-Hilal, are reportedly among those who have been informed of his prospective availability; nevertheless, it is unlikely that any of them will match the current offer.
His transfer to Madrid has been anticipated ever since PSG rejected a $190 million deal for the club in 2021. After losing Benzema at the end of the season, Madrid is in need of a top-tier forward.
Mbappe had until July 31 to opt out of a one-year contract extension. He joined the team in 2017, moving from Monaco in a deal that was reportedly worth $190 million.
