After missing out on Lionel Messi, Saudi team Al Hilal made a record €300 million ($332 million) bid for Kylian Mbappé on Monday. If successful, the France forward would join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich monarchy.
Paris Saint-Germain verified the offer and permitted Al Hilal to negotiate directly with Mbappé, but sources told ESPN that Mbappé is not interested.
The 2018 World Cup champion is in a contract dispute with PSG due to his decision to decline a 12-month contract extension.
Instead, he intends to leave as a free agent at the conclusion of the forthcoming season, when he is widely anticipated to sign with Real Madrid.
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According to sources cited by ESPN, should Mbappé move to Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer, he could receive a €100 million signing-on fee. Should he decide to remain with PSG, he would also receive a €80 million incentive in September.
Mbappé was removed from PSG’s Japan preseason tour on Saturday, with the French club determined to find an offer for him if he cannot be convinced to sign a new contract.
Al Hilal’s offer would make Mbappé the most expensive athlete in history, surpassing the $262 million PSG paid Barcelona for Neymar’s rights in 2017 when they signed the Brazilian.
The bid represents Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious recruiting effort to date, aimed at luring the game’s top players to the country.
After Ronaldo signed a contract with Al Nassr in December, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, and Roberto Firmino will join him in Saudi Arabia’s lucrative division.
After departing PSG, Messi decided against Al Hilal and instead chose MLS club Inter Miami CF.
However, a number of players have already made the switch, with more anticipated to follow before the start of the upcoming season. Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson, among other Premier League players, have been linked with moves.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has attempted to purchase its way into international sports. In addition to the Ronaldo agreement (his contract is rumored to pay him up to $200 million per year), the Saudi-funded LIV Golf has upended the sport.
The measures are part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to use the kingdom’s oil wealth to create new employment and opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s youth.
However, critics have derided the efforts as sportswashing, an attempt to use professional sports to improve the kingdom’s image despite the fact that it remains one of the world’s leading executioners and has been at war with Yemen for years.
Moreover, a 2018 U.S. intelligence report indicates that Prince Mohammed ordered the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.
