French soccer player, Kylian Mbappé, had the entire sports world on the edge of its seat after receiving a massive offer from Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
According to Forbes, the deal was estimated to be worth around $332 million per year, bringing Mbappé’s potential contract total to about $773 million. And while those numbers were impressive, the 24-year-old declined the offer, ending any speculation about him joining Al Hilal.
Although many athletes and sports outlets were speculating how this would play out, Mbappé and his team allegedly never met with the Saudi-based football club representatives.
Ironically, an alleged delegation from Saudi was already making a trip to France to sign FC Zenit winger Malcom. The group reportedly wanted to maximize the trip and sign Mbappé on their visit.
However, it was noted by French magazine L’Equipe that Mbappé never even considered a move to Saudi as a viable option for his career.
Although that denial has conflicting reporting from other French sources, Mbappé’s team remains adamant that they never got to the negotiation table. This has led to the assumption that the young athlete is sticking with his current team through the end of his contract to join Real Madrid during next year’s transfer portal.
Meanwhile, Mbappe’s current deal with Paris Saint-Germain will expire next year, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo hasn’t held back when making comments on the matter, ESPN reports.
“I don’t understand what PSG are playing at,” Hidalgo said. “Kylian Mbappé is the best player in the world. I’ll admit that I don’t understand it at all.”
“Kylian is an extraordinary player, and we have to keep him in Paris,” she continued. “I think it’s also his wish to remain here as long as possible. The question is: what is PSG doing?”
Rejecting such a massive deal and holding out until his contract’s end could show that Mbappé is committed to more than just income. However, his move is a bit familiar. His former teammate Lionel Messi made a similar one before recently joining Inter Miami.
