Saudi Arabia Wants to Pay Over $1 Billion for A Season with Kylian Mbappé
Saudi Arabian soccer club Al-Hilal is set to shake the football world with a jaw-dropping $1.1 billion offer to acquire French striker Kylian Mbappé from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), as per multiple reports. The deal, if sealed, would be a groundbreaking one in the world of sports.
The 24-year-old star only has a year left on his contract with Qatar-owned PSG and was recently cut from the club’s pre-season tour in Japan after he expressed his intention to wrap up his contract and leave as a free agent by next summer. According to an earlier report from ESPN, PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi said that Mbappé must sign a new contract this summer to remain in PSG. The club intends to officially make him available for transfer on July 31, which is the deadline for him to sign a one-year extension with PSG.
Al-Hilal’s proposal may change PSG’s plans.
Mbappé has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, and the Spanish giants were reportedly hoping to secure the superstar on a free transfer when his contract with PSG ends next summer. However, Al-Hilal, backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund, is ready to make a hefty $332 million transfer fee to PSG, along with a $776 million contract for a single season to entice the player.
This means that if Mbappé agrees to the record-breaking deal, he would still be eligible to join Real Madrid in 2024 after his stint with Al-Hilal.
ESPN reports that if he chooses the free transfer route next year, he will gain a signing-on fee of €100 million ($110 million). If he decides to remain with his hometown team PSG, he’ll get a bonus of €80 million ($88 million) this September.
But should Mbappé accept Al-Hilal’s incredible proposal, he would become the highest-paid athlete in history, surpassing Lionel Messi’s previous record deal of $674 million over four years with FC Barcelona in 2017.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious move into football gained momentum last year when Cristiano Ronaldo inked a deal with Al-Nassr worth an annual reported sum of $214 million for 2.5 years. In June, Al-Hilal reportedly attempted to lure Messi with a $1.6 billion offer spread across three years, but the Argentinian chose to join Inter Miami in MLS for less money.
This record-breaking offer highlights the growing influence of Middle Eastern nations in global sports investment. In June, Qatar Investment Authority made history by becoming the first sovereign wealth fund to acquire a stake in a major US professional sports team. They bought a 5% stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the company that owns NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Capitals, and the WNBA’s Mystics.
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