He’s not interested in a mega-deal that could cost as much as $1 trillion.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have made a bid to sell their star striker Mbappe to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, but Mbappe immediately rejected it. Mbappe has not responded to interest from Al-Hilal, as well as Man United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. He is determined to hold out for one more year and then move to Real Madrid next summer for a free transfer.
French publication L’Equipe reported on the 25th that “Mbappe is considering only Real as a future destination,” indicating that Mbappe has rejected Alhilal’s huge salary.
“Mbappe does not want to move to the Saudi league despite a stunning offer from Saudi Al-Hilal,” the UK’s Daily Mail reported the same day, adding that “Al-Hilal have been authorized by PSG to negotiate with Mbappe, but he is set to reject the offer.”
“Al-Hilal have offered a £259 million ($425 billion) transfer fee to sign Mbappe,” said the Guardian, among others. The £42.5 billion fee would be the highest transfer fee in soccer history. The record is currently held by Neymar, who paid €222 million ($314.8 billion) to join PSG from Barcelona in 2017.
The salary is also quite extraordinary. According to CBS, “Alhilal offered a transfer fee of €300 million and a salary of €700 million (about $99.28 billion),” meaning that Mbappe was offered a salary of around $1 trillion.
In addition, Alhilal understood that Mbappe wanted to play for the Spanish giants and offered him a one-year contract. The plan is to allow Mbappe to move to Real next summer if he wants to. In other words, Mbappe would have a one-year part-time job and a free transfer to Real.
Al-Hilal made this unorthodox offer to Mbappe in an effort to revitalize Saudi professional soccer.
Al-Hilal’s offer also included a staggering salary that would shock the soccer world. “Mbappe’s €700 million salary at Al-Hilal is equivalent to about $830 million a month, $184 million a week, $260 million a day, $120 million an hour, $188 million a minute, and $31,000 a second,” according to the Transfer News Live social media account, which specializes in the transfer market.
However, Alhilal’s hopes are unlikely to be realized. Mbappe is unwavering in his preference to stay at PSG, even for an astronomical sum. According to the Daily Mail, Mbappe has no intention of playing in the Saudi league at such a young age. PSG, of course, accepted Al-Hilal’s offer.
Currently, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stated that Mbappe will be sold this summer, but if the player is determined to see out his contract, there is nothing stopping him.
Spain’s Relevo also reported that “Mbappe doesn’t want to play in the Saudi league. He is determined to play out the last season of his contract with PSG,” adding that Mbappe’s priority is to stay at PSG.
For now, PSG is using a number of tactics to try and get rid of Mbappe. If he doesn’t leave this summer, they will suspend his wages and demote him to the second team. They’ll even send him to the stands so he can’t play. Mbappe is already prepared to sit out the entire year. He is reportedly willing to sit on the bench for the entire season.
Further complicating matters, the French players’ union (UNFP) has vowed to consider a legal response to PSG’s actions. According to Sky Sports in the UK and RMC Sport in France, the UNFP said, “All players must be guaranteed the same working conditions. PSG is obliged to honor its contract with the player and allow Mbappe to train normally. Forcing a player to miss a match is a violation of labor law. Civil and criminal proceedings will be initiated,” he said, adding that he would consider legal action if Mbappe is relegated to the second team.
Mbappe’s plan is to join Real as a free agent next summer. Sky Sports speculated that Mbappe and Real had already reached an agreement on a move next summer, with PSG suspecting that the two sides had reached a deal.
However, under the Bosman Rules, Real can make contact with Mbappe starting next January, so for now, PSG are only assuming that Mbappe has signed a deal with Real on a whim, without proof.
The Daily Mail also reports that “Mbappe has long been keen on a move to Real. PSG believe Mbappe has already agreed to join Real in the summer of 2024 for no fee,” suggesting that a deal has been reached between Mbappe and Real. 꽁머니사이트
PSG has also decided not to pay Mbappe the hefty loyalty bonus he was due. “PSG has the means to pressure Mbappe not to pay the initially promised bonus if they are successful in selling him this summer,” France’s Sport Zone reported on July 23, adding that the club would “justify not paying the remaining amount of the bonus” and that a legal battle between PSG and Mbappe is likely.
PSG signed Mbappe to a new 2+1 year contract ahead of last season, which included a signing-on bonus. The bonus was worth a staggering £68 million, which Mbappe would have been entitled to if he remained at PSG for a set period in the 2023/24 season, even if he became a free agent next year. However, PSG have made it clear that they have no intention of paying Mbappe.
Another variable in the mix is that PSG players have reacted strongly to Mbappe’s behavior, demanding quick action from the club. A total of six players have met with president Al-Khelaifi to ask for Mbappe’s release, and two players who joined the club this summer have also joined in, suggesting that the club is on the same divisive path as Mbappe’s comments.
Previously, PSG had been in contact with English Premier League clubs as they looked to sell Mbappe.
“Manchester United and Chelsea are among the clubs interested in a move for Mbappe, while Tottenham are also tracking him because of current star striker Harry Kane,” according to the Sun.
“PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy are close friends and have been in touch about Kane on several occasions,” says the Daily Mail. Kane is also out of contract at Tottenham in the summer of 2024,” suggesting a potential swap between Mbappe and Kane, but again, there was no response from Mbappe’s camp.
On the 25th, rumors of a move to Real’s rivals FC Barcelona surfaced, but they were deemed unreliable by the transfer market. It’s unclear if Barcelona will have the money to sign Mbappe.
For PSG, there are no options at this point. Unless Mbappe changes his mind, they have no choice but to spend tens of billions on him and lose him to Real. Mbappe is well aware of this and has been quietly sweating it out despite his recent exclusion from the Asia Tour roster.