Kylian Mbappe given green light for record-breaking transfer talks with Al Hilal

By Ovaise Shariff  |  First Published Jul 25, 2023, 12:01 AM IST

Paris St Germain has granted superstar striker Kylian Mbappe permission to engage in transfer talks with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal after they submitted a monumental world-record offer of £259 million. The 24-year-old forward, who has not signed a contract extension with PSG, will be a free agent next summer, increasing the stakes for his potential move.


Paris St Germain has granted their star striker, Kylian Mbappe, permission to enter negotiations with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal. Al Hilal recently submitted a staggering world-record offer of £259 million for the 24-year-old forward. Mbappe's current PSG contract has not been extended for another year, which means he will become a free agent next summer and can potentially leave without any transfer fee.

Notably, PSG's decision to exclude Mbappe from their pre-season tour of Japan signaled to other clubs that he was available for sale this summer, leading to Al Hilal's massive bid. Besides Al Hilal, other clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Inter Milan, and Barcelona, have shown interest in signing the talented French striker.

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If the deal with Al Hilal materialises, it would surpass the world transfer record fee PSG paid to Barcelona for Neymar in 2017, which was reported at £200 million at the time. However, PSG is reportedly confident that Mbappe has already agreed to a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer. Should he move to the Spanish capital in 2024, Mbappe is expected to receive a substantial signing-on fee of £138 million.

For PSG, selling Mbappe this summer would allow them to secure a return on their significant investment in the player. They signed him from Monaco for 180 million euros and retained him last summer on a lucrative new contract amid interest from Real Madrid. With the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) now holding majority ownership of Al Hilal and three other Saudi Pro League clubs, their investment in the European transfer market has been substantial this summer. However, the potential acquisition of Kylian Mbappe would undoubtedly be the most significant statement of Saudi Arabian strength in football to date. The final decision on his future now lies with the player himself.

Twitter is abuzz with both trolls and tweets about Mbappe: 

Mbappe to Al Hilal. Here we gopic.twitter.com/AMclfVF4Gn

— Troll Football (@TrollFootball)

🧵 THREAD: Where should Kylian Mbappé go next?

💙 for Al Hilal pic.twitter.com/jfd5ebhrfu

— 433 (@433)

Kylian Mbappé’s potential one year salary with Al-Hilal: $776M

LeBron James' all-time NBA earnings:
$531M

Football money is wild 😳

(Via ) pic.twitter.com/CNompMrsqO

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral)
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