Al-Hilal makes a £259 million offer for PSG and France striker Kylian Mbappe.
After making a record-breaking £259 million bid for the Paris St. Germain star, Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal has been given permission to talk with Kylian Mbappe.
The French champs’ 24-year-old captain, who has one year left on his contract and has refused to sign a contract extension, was not chosen for their pre-season tour of Japan.
Mbappe is being sold by PSG rather than letting him depart for free next summer.
The current record is Neymar’s £200 million transfer from Barcelona to PSG in 2017.
Brazilian striker Neymar became the most expensive player in the world after PSG exercised his release clause.
After joining PSG from Monaco for £166 million in 2017, Mbappe will have commanded two of the three biggest payments paid for a player should he depart.
Mbappe has drawn interest from a number of clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Inter Milan, and Barcelona. He has already stated his intention to leave PSG for free at the end of the upcoming season and is thought to favor a transfer to Real Madrid.
PSG is open to the prospect of Mbappe going out on loan this summer to finish out his contract year somewhere else.
This would allow him to join Real Madrid for nothing in 12 months’ time, keep playing this season and generate a loan fee for PSG.
Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has made clear his determination to take a tough stance and there have been suggestions Mbappe would not be selected for an entire year if he refused to break the present impasse. That eventuality would clearly have a negative impact on his hopes of playing for France at Euro 2024.
Al-Hilal is one of the clubs owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. They have already signed Ruben Neves from Wolves and Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea this summer.
Mbappe has not commented on the bid but responded to a tweet from NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who joked: “Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe”
The Frenchman replied with a series of crying with laughter emojis.
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