Al-Hilal eyes big-money move for Mbappe

Sydney, July 24

After missing out on Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabian football team Al-Hilal made a record $332 million bid for Kylian Mbappe today, which could see the France striker join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich kingdom.

Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the offer for its player and has given Al-Hilal permission to open negotiations directly with Mbappe.

The 2018 World Cup winner is in a contract standoff with PSG after his decision not to take up the option of a 12-month extension on his deal. Instead, he plans to walk away as a free agent at the end of the upcoming season when he is widely expected to join Real Madrid.

PSG cut Mbappe from its pre-season tour of Japan on Saturday, with the French club determined to sell him unless he can be convinced to sign a new contract.

Al-Hilal’s bid would make Mbappe the most expensive football player in history, overtaking the $262 million PSG paid for Neymar when the team signed the Brazilian from Barcelona in 2017.

The bid represents Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious move yet as part of a determined recruitment drive to lure the game’s biggest players to the country. — AP