Saudi Arabian soccer club Al Hilal has submitted a world-record bid of over USD$332 million for Paris Saint Germain (PSG) striker Kylian Mbappé.
The 24-year-old has been left out of PSG’s squad for its preseason tour of Japan, with the club having issued him an ultimatum to sign a new contract or be sold.
The current world record fee is $262 million (€222 million) when Neymar moved from Barcelona to PSG in 2017.
French media outlet L’Equipe reported on Monday that PSG’s owners are ready to accept the proposal from Al Hilal, which reportedly includes a USD$775 million wage packet for Mbappé, and have allowed the Saudi club to speak with the World Cup winner.
While PSG seems ready and willing to sell the French superstar, Mbappé ultimately has control of which club he plays for as he is under contract for the year and can veto any move if it doesn’t meet his approval.
Spanish giant Real Madrid has been heavily linked with Mbappé ever since almost signing the French international striker ahead of the 2022/23 season and is reportedly the Frenchman’s ideal landing spot if he were to leave Paris.
A move to Saudi Arabia would be a major boost to the country’s ambitions to create a competitive soccer league.
The new SPL season kicks off on August 11 and Al Hilal reached both the FIFA Club World Cup and the AFC Champions League finals last season.
Source: CNN
