French soccer star Kylian Mbappé has rejected Al-Hilal’s offer to play in Saudi Arabia for one year, reports Fabrizio Romano. Reports earlier this week said Al-Hilal offered $776 million to Mbappé.
Romano reports that Mbappé is instead intent on agreeing to a contract with Spanish club Real Madrid, despite Saudi Arabia’s offer to make him the world’s highest-paid athlete. The reported offer totaled $1.1 billion, including its proposed $332 million transfer fee paid to Mbappé’s current club Paris Saint-Germain. However, Romano now reports that Al-Hilal’s proposed salary was $221 million, a far cry from the originally reported $776M.
“Despite Al Hilal delegation flying to Paris, Kylian Mbappé has rejected to negotiate with Al Hilal,” wrote Romano. “Mbappé has currently no intention to open talks despite €200m fixed salary proposal plus 100% image rights.”
Even the lesser $221 million reported offer from Al-Hilal would be the current largest annual salary in soccer, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s reported $214 million earned from Saudi team Al Nassr.
In June, Al-Hilal reportedly offered a $1.6 billion deal over three years before he took less money to sign with Inter Miami in MLS. Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are among four Saudi Pro League clubs that were restructured last month to become majority owned by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund operated by Saudi Arabia’s government.
