Saudi Pro League side 'to have Kylian Mbappe bid accepted' in staggering twist

Saudi Pro League Kylian Mbappe

Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal are determined to secure Kylian Mbappe transfer

PA
Olatomiwa Tobi

By Olatomiwa Tobi


Published: 24/07/2023

- 12:23

The France international could become the costliest signing in football history

Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal have submitted a formal bid worth £259million to PSG for star forward Kylian Mbappe.

The France international has been put up for sale by PSG and left out of their pre-season tour after reports suggested the Frenchman refused to sign a new deal; with just one year left in his current contract.


At least five clubs have contacted Paris Saint-Germain in the last few days about signing Kylian Mbappe - with Saudi club side Al Hilal the latest to signify their interest in the star player.

Reports suggest Al Hilal have submitted a bid of £259m in writing for the 24-year-old, who revealed earlier this summer that he would not sign a new contract at the Parc des Princes.

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe would earn huge money playing in Saudi Arabia

PA

L'Equipe in France say the bid for Mbappe will be accepted.

Mbappe had hinted that he was planning to see out his contract and play for PSG during the forthcoming season thereby making him a free agent, but PSG's owners have insisted he must be sold if he cannot agree a new deal.

The club will listen to offers for their star player to avoid losing him for nothing.

Mbappe has been extensively linked with Real Madrid over the years but opted to sign a contract extension worth £650,000-per-week with PSG rather than join them last summer.

Transfer speculation has surrounded Mbappe since it became clear he would not activate a one-year extension in his contract with PSG which would have tied him to the club until 2025.

Now, with a £259m bid from one of the four Saudi Pro League clubs owned by the Public Investment Fund, Mbappe could be tempted to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante.

However, sources close to the PSG say there has also been interest in the player from other clubs particularly in Europe, including Premier League sides Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, Italian side Inter Milan and Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The current world record transfer fee was paid by PSG, when they signed Neymar from Barcelona in 2017 for a reported deal of £200m.

Meanwhile, Mbappe has been defended by the Union of French footallers (UNFP) after PSG opted to sideline their talisman.

"All these players, must benefit from the same working conditions as the rest of the professional workforce," they said.

"It nevertheless seems useful to the UNFP to remind managers that exerting pressure on an employee – via the deterioration of his working conditions for example – to force him to leave or to accept what the employer wants constitutes moral harassment, which French law strongly condemns."

As well as Al-Hilal, Real Madrid and Barcelona are expected to pursue Mbappe.

But they're willing to include players as part of the operation in order to bring Mbappe to Catalonia.

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