PSG say Saudi’s Al Hilal can talk to Mbappe after 300-million-euro bid: source

OSAKA: Paris Saint-Germain have given Saudi club Al Hilal permission to speak to Kylian Mbappe after tabling a 300-million-euro ($333 million) bid, a source close to the negotiations said on Monday. The Riyadh-based club has made a formal offer by letter, but such a transfer could only be made with the agreement of the player. 

“PSG have given Al Hilal permission to negotiate with Kylian Mbappe about a transfer for 300 million euros,” the source said. Mbappe has one year left on his contract with PSG, who want him to leave now rather than for nothing next summer.

The bid for Mbappe would make him the most expensive football player in history, overtaking the $262 million PSG paid for Neymar, who joined from Barcelona in 2017. The offer represents Saudi Arabia's most ambitious move yet as part of a determined recruitment drive to lure the game's biggest players to the country. After Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to join Al-Nassr in December, Saudi teams have gone into overdrive by targeting leading names from Europe's top leagues. Real Madrid great and current Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema signed for Saudi champion Al-Ittihad last month and has been joined by 2018 World Cup winner N’Golo Kante.