Saudi Arabia failed to sign Kylian Mbappé (24) in the summer, despite Paris Saint-Germain accepting a world-record offer for the France captain, however, the Gulf State are not about to give up in their attempts to land the forward.
Mbappé was effectively put up for sale by PSG last summer amidst the player’s refusal to trigger the one-year extension in his contract. Desperate not to lose him on a free, Les Parisiens’ cast Mbappé aside, leaving him out of their pre-season tour and making him train with the reserves in a move to force him out of the club for a fee. However, the AS Monaco academy product was stubborn in his insistence that he would remain at PSG this season and see out the final year of his contract.
As reported by L’Équipe in July, PSG were willing to accept Al-Hilal’s world-record €300m bid for Mbappé, but with the player entrenched in his position that he would remain at the Parc des Princes, a move did not take form. However, perhaps the story does not end there.
‘We don’t know what he wants to do’ – Michael Emenalo, Saudi Pro League Director of Football
Speaking to Marca on Saturday, Michael Emenalo, the Saudi Pro League Director of Football, alluded to the possibility of signing Mbappé in the future. “With Mbappé, the conversation is open,” he began. “But we don’t know what he wants to do. Our position is clear: all of these kinds of players know where we are. If there is a possibility or an interest from Mbappé to be a part of what we’re building, today or in the future, we can’t reject the possibility. It is a player that I like.”
Mbappé’s deal with PSG runs until the end of the current season, and there are currently no signs of talks about an extension. He has been incessantly linked with a move to Real Madrid, having come close to joining the La Liga club in the summer of 2022.
