2023-07-24 19:07:04
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal failed in its attempt for signing Lionel Messi, who went to Inter Miami of the MLS, redoubled the bet. Al-Hilal submitted a record $330 million offer for Kylian Mbappe’s transfer, a proposal that might land the French striker in the same league that seduced Cristiano Ronaldo with his petrodollars.
He Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the offer for their player and authorized Al-Hilal to start direct negotiations with Mbappé, intended, among other clubs, by Real Madrid. The 24-year-old striker’s negotiations with PSG stalled following his decision not to activate a 12-month extension on his contract.
Mbappé plans to leave as a free player following this season, when he is expected to join Real Madrid. PSG left Mbappé out of their pre-season tour on Saturday, and the club were determined to sell him unless they might convince him to sign a new contract.
At the beginning of the year, Al-Hilal unsuccessfully tried to sign Messi. The Argentine star chose to go to the MLS in the United States and has already made his debut at Inter Miami.
The offer for Mbappé might make him the most expensive footballer in history, eclipsing the $262 million that PSG paid Barcelona for Brazilian Neymar in 2017. It is the most ambitious step by the Saudis in their recruitment of some of the best soccer figures in the world for their domestic tournament.
After Cristiano Ronaldo signed with Al-Nassr in December 2022, Saudi clubs spared no expense to bring in big-name players from Europe’s top leagues. French striker Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, decided to leave Real Madrid and signed with Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last month. N’Golo Kante, midfielder for the French team that won the 2018 World Cup, also parted ways with Premier League Chelsea to be Benzema’s teammate at Al-Ittihad.
In addition, Brazilian attacker Roberto Firmino, Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Marcelo Brozocic have also accepted offers from the lucrative Saudi league which is spending heavily to raise the profile and quality of the competition.
Although they mightn’t convince Messi to join Al-Hilal following completing his contract with PSG, more stars are expected to follow in the footsteps of Cristiano, Benzema and co. The names of Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson, Premier players, sound to go to Saudi Arabia.
It is estimated that the salaries and commercial agreements for Cristiano, Benzema and Kante might bring them almost 1,000 million dollars in total.
Mbappé warned that he wants to complete his last year of contract, which leaves PSG open to seeing him leave for nothing at the end of the season. The French champions, owned by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, saw Messi go without compensation and are determined to collect a fee for a player who is hailed as the heir to Messi and Cristiano.
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