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Saudi Arabia ready to pay $300 million for Mbappe: Reports
That staggering amount will just be the transfer fee for PSG — it's still unclear how much the Saudi club will be offering the French captain
Reuters file photo
After missing out on Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabia is now reportedly setting its sights on PSG's Kylian Mbappe.
In fact, a Saudi club has initiated the recruitment process — with PSG purportedly getting a transfer offer to the tune of $300 million, according to international media reports.
This amount, if true, would break the world record set when PSG paid a fee of $247 million to get Neymar in 2017.
Reports are saying it is Saudi club Al Hilal that is ready to make a huge offer for the 24-year-old French captain.
Sources had caught wind only of the transfer fee — details on how much the contract would be worth remain unclear. Will he be able to get the same jawdropping offer extended to Messi?
Mbappe declared in May that he did not want to extend his PSG contract, which expires next year, but indicated he wanted to remain at the club for a final season.
That would allow him to become a free agent next summer and leave PSG for nothing, a prospect that club president Nasser Al Khelaifi said was "impossible".
Khelaifi even gave Mbappe an ultimatum of a "maximum two weeks" to make his decision — sign a new contract or leave this summer.
Amidst the dispute, Mbappe was left out of the PSG squad as it flew to Asia for a pre-season tour on Saturday.
Mbappe, the club's all-time top scorer with 212 goals in 260 appearances, remains the second most expensive player in history. He was still a teenager when he joined PSG on a season-long loan from Monaco in August 2017.
The move turned into a permanent transfer the following year in a 180-million-euro ($200 million) deal.
Will he move to Saudi?
A source involved in the negotiations insists that PSG have already received a $300-million from Saudi Arabia for Mbappe.
However, it is considered unlikely he will go there.
What seems to be more likely is Mbappe's move to Real Madrid.
PSG is convinced that Mbappe has already agreed to join Real Madrid for free in June 2024, with the promise of a staggering signing bonus, since the Spanish giants would have saved on the transfer.
Mbappe was expected to leave a year ago for Real Madrid when his previous contract came to an end, only to agree a new deal to remain in Paris.
Having missed out on his signature a year ago, Real would again be chief among his suitors.
They are in the market for a new forward after reigning Ballon d'Or Karim Benzema ended his 14-year stay in the Spanish capital, opting to move to Saudi Arabia.
(With inputs from AFP)
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