Alex Kirkland and Julian Lorenz3 minutes to read
Can Mbappe accept the huge Al Hilal offer?
Julian Lorenz breaks down the possibility of Kylian Mbappe joining Al Hilal Saudi Arabia, in exchange for a huge offer.
The rest of Paris Saint-Germain’s first team are currently on a pre-season tour of Japan, where they were held to a 0-0 victory draw with Cristiano Ronaldo in Osaka on Tuesday.
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Paris Saint-Germain received a world-record bid of 300 million euros ($332 million) to transfer Mbappe from Al-Hilal club, after the star said he would not extend his contract in Paris beyond next summer.
However, if the clubs reach an agreement, Mbappe, 24, will still have to accept the move himself, and agree terms with the Saudi Professional League club.
Sources told ESPN that Al-Hilal has not directly contacted the France international and would not be open to a switch in any way.
Sources said that Al-Hilal is the only team that made an official offer to Mbappe, but the player is only interested in joining Real Madrid.
Mbappe was left out of PSG’s tour group to Japan as a result of his refusal to sign a new contract.
Club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi said that Paris Saint-Germain will not accept Mbappe’s departure on a free transfer in 2024, and his options are either to renew or accept the transfer this summer.
Mbappe trained on Tuesday with other players who are not in the plans of the new Paris Saint-Germain coach, Luis Enrique, such as midfielders Leandro Paredes and Georginho Wijnaldum.
Sources said he seemed happy and unconcerned about the situation.
A report from the French newspaper L’Equipe on Monday Claimed that Barcelona To join the race to sign Mbappe.
Sources told ESPN that the club’s tight finances make such a deal prohibitively expensive at the moment, suggesting the report was an attempt to put pressure on Real Madrid.
Mbappe was Real Madrid’s first long-term target – they failed in efforts to sign him in 2022 and 2021 – and the club became vacant in attack following the departure of Karim Benzema.
However, the club wants the player or PSG to make the first move, sources told ESPN, before negotiations begin.
Real Madrid are keen to avoid a repeat of last summer, when a sudden change of heart at the last minute saw Mbappe sideline them to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
Sources have told ESPN they are aware that they are Mbappe’s priority for his next club, and have been in constant contact with the player, especially over the past two months.
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