For the Saudi league, after missing out on football superstar Lionel Messi, Saudi side Al Hilal on Monday quoted a record €300 million ($332 million) transfer fee to buy Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, which could see the French striker join Cristiano Ronaldo to pan for gold in the oil-rich country.
Ligue 1 banba Paris Saint-Germain confirmed Al Hilal's transfer fee offer for Mbappe and allowed Al Hilal to negotiate the terms of personal treatment directly with player Mbappe, but according to sources, Mbappe is clearly not interested in the Saudi offer. The relationship between the 2018 World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain has also stalled after deciding not to accept the option of starting a 12-month contract extension. Instead, Mbappe himself plans to leave as a free agent at the end of next season, when fans widely expect him to join Real Madrid.
Sources also said Mbappe would receive a €100 million signing fee if he moved to Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer. If he chooses to stay at Paris Saint-Germain, he will also receive a prize of 80 million euros in September.
Paris Saint-Germain earlier cancelled Kylian Mbappe's pre-season trip to Japan on Saturday as the French side are determined to find a suitable transfer offer for Mbappe unless he can be persuaded to sign a new contract extension.
Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia would make Mbappe the most expensive player in history for a transfer fee, surpassing the $262 million paid by Paris Saint-Germain FC when it bought out Neymar's contract from Barcelona in 2017. The transfer fee offer is the Saudi Arabian side's most ambitious move to date and part of a poaching effort to lure the country's biggest players.
After Ronaldo and Ainas reached an agreement in December, players such as Karim Benzema, Ngoro Kante and Roberto Firmino traveled to Saudi Arabia to pan for gold and earn lucrative wages. After leaving Paris Saint-Germain FC, Messi chose not Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal but Inter Miami FC Major League Soccer.
But many players have taken action anyway, and more are expected to follow before the start of next season. Premier League players like Riad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson have been linked to the Saudi transfer.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia's gold dollar has sought to enter the international sports scene through purchases. In addition to Ronaldo's deal, whose contract reportedly brings him up to $200 million a year, the Saudi consortium-backed golf Golf has also transformed the sport.
These initiatives are part of a Saudi consortium's efforts to harness Saudi oil wealth to provide new employment opportunities for Saudi youth. However, critics have dismissed these efforts as using sports to launder money, with Saudi consortia trying to use professional sports to change the country's image.
