SAUDI SIDE AL-HILAL SUBMIT WORLD-RECORD £259m BID TO SIGN MBAPPE

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By Oduola F.A.

Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have submitted a world-record transfer bid of £259m in order to sign PSG forward Kylian Mbappe.

The 24-year-old has been put up for sale by the French champions after refusing to sign a new deal, with his contract set to expire next summer.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has no intention of losing him for free in 2024, and he was left out of their squad for their pre-season tour of Japan in a clear indication that the club are ready to offload the forward.

This has put clubs around the world on alert that Mbappe is available, and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed Al-Hilal have put in an offer that would smash the £200m PSG paid Barcelona for Neymar in 2017.

It is understood PSG have given Al-Hilal permission to speak to Mbappe.

This follows the news that Al-Hilal would be willing to offer Mbappe a deal worth £173.2m-a-year that would include a release clause to allow him to get his dream move to Real Madrid next year.

Mbappe came really close to joining Madrid in 2022, before making a sensational U-turn and staying at PSG.

He has continued to be linked with the Spanish giants, though, and PSG believe he has already agreed to join them for free in 2024.

The move to Saudi Arabia could provide a compromise, with PSG getting a lucrative transfer fee, and Mbappe still moving to Madrid in 12 months’ time if they can meet his release clause.

But Mbappe’s future may not be at either Al-Hilal or Real Madrid, as at least five clubs reached out to PSG over the weekend to register their interest in the attacker, according to Sky Sports.

Three of those clubs are Premier League teams, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham all keen on Mbappe.

There has also been interest from Europe, with Barcelona and Inter Milan making contact with PSG.