Saudi team Al Hilal made a record €300 million ($332m) bid for Kylian Mbappé on Monday, which could see the France striker join Cristiano Ronaldo for the next year of the Saudi Pro League, according to reports.
Mbappé’s current team, PSG, confirmed the offer. PSG lost its other mega-star, Lionel Messi, to Inter Miami this year.
In recent months, since the acquisition of Christiano Ronaldo, Saudi Arabia has emerged as a burgeoning powerhouse in the world of football, demonstrating its commitment to elevating the country’s sporting profile. Over the past year, the Kingdom has executed a series of strategic moves and investments, acquiring top-tier football talent from across the globe and bolstering the Saudi Pro League with direct investment from the Kingdom’s PIF.
Since Ronaldo, high-profile transfers to the Kingdom include current Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema, the Brazilian phenomenon Neymar Jr. from PSG, Norwegian star Erling Haaland, Belgian midfield maestro Kevin De Bruyne, N’Golo Kanté, Ruben Neves, Edouard Mendy, and others.
The Saudi league’s British chief executive, Garry Cook, a former Nike executive who briefly ran Manchester City after it was bought by the brother of the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, has been tasked with executing the plans, according to the New York Times.
Apart from signing superstar players, Saudi Arabia has made strategic investments into the league itself, with the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) investing in four top teams.
Saudi Arabia is also establishing state-of-the-art training facilities and youth development programs aimed at nurturing local talents and grooming them into future football stars.
The Saudi Pro League 2023/2024 season will start on Friday, August 11th with a game between Al-Ahli and Al-Hazem. The following opening games will then be played over the three next days starting on Saturday, August 12th and finishing on Monday, August 14th.
