HERE WE GO – Kylian Mbappe to Man United set to be done deal as Man united official are now in Paris to table whooping £300M offer, Official announcement soon
Manchester United and Arsenal have been handed a lift in their ambitious pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe, with a report claiming Real Madrid are not actually advancing in talks to sign him.
Mbappe is refusing to activate the option in his PSG contract which would extend it from 2024 to 2025. PSG have no plans to let him leave on a free next year and have therefore told him to either agree on an entirely new deal or be sold this summer.
As the France captain appears unwilling to negotiate fresh terms, PSG put him up for sale recently. And the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) have seen this as the perfect opportunity to make their biggest statement yet, by taking Mbappe to the Middle East in a stunning move.
Al Hilal have submitted a huge offer worth €300m (£259m) for Mbappe. PSG have accepted it and told Al Hilal they can now speak with the attacker’s representatives to try and sort out a contract.
If Mbappe were to go through with the move, it would make him the most expensive player of all time. The record is currently held by Mbappe’s PSG team-mate Neymar, who cost the French giants £200m when signing from Barcelona in August 2017.
Despite Al Hilal seemingly reaching an agreement with Luis Enrique’s side, it is hard to see Mbappe actually going to the Saudi Pro League. He will want to play at the highest level at this stage of his career, in order to help him win his first Ballon d’Or and other major silverware.
The only thing that may tempt him into the move is that Al Hilal are offering him the chance to earn huge money with them for a season before joining Madrid on a free in 2024.
Madrid are widely regarded as the 24-year-old’s favoured next club. He wants to emulate his idol Cristiano Ronaldo by shining at the Bernabeu and helping Los Blancos win illustrious trophies such as the Champions League and La Liga.
Real Madrid fail to begin Kylian Mbappe talks – report
But according to French source Le Parisien, Madrid have still not made any approach to actually sign him.
PSG are hoping it is just a matter of time before Madrid president Florentino Perez makes his move, having tried to sign Mbappe on numerous occasions in the past. However, the report explains how Perez has no intention of rushing.
Should Madrid complete a shock U-turn and opt against signing Mbappe, then this would give the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal a brilliant chance to capture him.
Man Utd may just have the money to buy Mbappe and pay for his colossal wages if Sheikh Jassim finalises his takeover of the club. Arsenal, meanwhile, are thought to be Mbappe’s preferred destination if he decides to come to the Prem. This is because he has been impressed by Mikel Arteta’s project, while he would also like the challenge of helping Arsenal win their first league title since 2003-04.
A lot of things need to go right for either Man Utd or Arsenal to land Mbappe, but Madrid stalling is certainly a positive for those Prem clubs.
Meanwhile, Arteta will be ecstatic after finding out a winger would much rather join Arsenal than Man Utd or Tottenham.
