July 24 – Could the exodus of elite players to Saudi Arabia be about to take its most sensational step yet?
According to multiple press reports, Al-Hilal have made an eye-watering world record €300 million bid to land French superstar Kylian Mbappe.
Paris Saint-Germain has apparently confirmed the offer and 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 and has been put up for sale.
PSG controversially left Mbappe out of their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea saying they would only include players they believe are committed to the club.
PSG President Nasser al Khelaifi has said they will not allow him go for free and until now it had been anticipated that he would end up at Real Madrid which is still probably the most likely option.
Meanwhile the players’ union in France has accused PSG of morally harassing Mbappe.
The Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionels (UNFP) has threatened the club with legal action to protect his rights.
“These players – all of them – must enjoy the same working conditions as the rest of the professional workforce,” the UNFP said in a lengthy statement.
“The UNFP feels it would be useful to remind managers that putting pressure on an employee – via the deterioration of their working conditions, for example – to force them to leave or accept what the employer wants constitutes moral harassment, which French law firmly condemns.
“So, yes, the UNFP reserves the right to take civil and criminal action against any club that behaves in this way,” the statement said.
For their part, having seen teammate Lionel Messi leave for Inter Miami after not taking up an option for an extra year, PSG does not want Mbappé doing something similar.
Running down his contract to leave PSG in one year’s time would mean losing out on a massive transfer fee.
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