Now that two years of that contract have ended, Mbappe has told PSG that he doesn’t intend to renew his deal any further and instead test free agency in 2024. To PSG, this means that Madrid, who had softened their stance on the World Cup-winning force, have been operating in the shadows, trying to bring the player to the Spanish capital.
There is also money in that particular offer being put forth by Madrid. In the absence of a transfer fee, 130 million euros, according to The Athletic, would go into Mbappe’s purse.
But that deal affects PSG severely.
Financial fair play
The trouble for PSG in a scenario where Mbappe walks away from the French capital for free is that their movement in the transfer market would be severely restricted thanks to financial fair play rules. By showing a sale of Mbappe, some of the money they have invested gets recouped and crucially the club gets wiggle room to negotiate for future transfers.
In that sense, Al-Hilal’s offer is one that helps all parties. PSG get 300 million euros and a way to continue their path onto being a top European club. Mbappe gets to pocket a cool 700 million euros for a year’s stay in Riyadh. And Al-Hilal, that tried to get their ultimate wish of a league which had Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, would be content in an Mbappe-Ronaldo showdown. Everybody wins, except probably Al-Hilal, who at this point seem to have lost all sense of economic equilibrium.
Besides Ronaldo, whose contract reportedly earns him up to $200 million a year, Saudi-funded LIV Golf has shaken up professional golf. They also have Premier League club Newcastle United in their portfolio. The moves are part of efforts by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to leverage the kingdom’s oil wealth to provide new jobs and opportunities for Saudi Arabia’s youth. However, critics have dismissed the efforts as “sportswashing,” attempting to leverage professional sports to clean up the kingdom’s image as it remains one of the world’s top executioners and waging a yearslong war in Yemen.
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The offer also tests Mbappe’s loyalty not just to PSG, but bizarrely towards Madrid as well. Can the Spanish giants take yet another short-term rejection? Does Mbappe value a contract of such epic proportions over a year of waiting for Madrid and then possibly get another bumper contract and joining fee from them? If he chooses Al-Hilal, it’s likely the 700 million euros plus next year’s free agent bidding war spoils as well.
Either way, the power completely lies with the 24-year-old. He can destroy a seven-year association with PSG by ensuring they don’t get a cut of his transfer fee and struggle to make moves in Europe. Or he can make a quick pit-stop in Saudi Arabia and then head to Madrid at the age of 25 – with his prime still within grasp. There is also the option that Madrid come to the table to negotiate with PSG before his contract runs out.
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The first billion-dollar player of football. Has any defence tested Kylian Mbappe as he is being tested now?
(With Agency Inputs)
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