Kylian Mbappe signs for Real Madrid after turning down Saudi offer

Kylian Mbappé will not play his football in Saudi Arabia next season. Credit: AP Photo/Lewis Joly

Kylian Mbappe turned down a £260m move he offered to Saudi Arabia, and sources close to the talks are increasingly convinced he has agreed terms for a move to Real Madrid next year.

The striker is said to have refused to discuss with Al-Hilal representatives who were expected in France after Paris Saint-Germain allowed him to be contacted.

His immediate response came amid insiders saying Mbappé remains determined to realize his dream of a move to Real Madrid in 11 months, when he can leave PSG as a free agent.

PSG, which put the player up for sale on Friday amid a broken relationship, are exploring alternatives to return some cash for one of the world's best players instead.

As the French champions put Mbappe on the market, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham , Inter Milan and Barcelona made contact, although sources close to United have since ruled themselves out of the election.

Offers from other places are expected, and the possibility of an exchange of potential players is also increased. One of the candidates would be Harry Kane, although the prospect of a move to Bayern Munich is considered more likely.

Al-Hilal was the first to make his offer, which would break the world record of £198m . what PSG paid for Neymar in 2017. Reports that Mbappe rejected the offer were originally published by L'Equipe, but then confirmed by sources close to the negotiations.

The Saudi Pro League club, which was poised to offer Mbappe a £173.2m-a-year deal, also missed out on Lionel Messi despite offering him a proposed £320m-a-year deal.

Kylian Mbappe's path forward

PSG have made it clear they only want to include players who are committed to the club. Mbappe, one of the best players in the world, has one year left on his contract and does not want to sign a new one.

His current club has been known to suspect for some time that he had already agreed to join Real Madrid for free next summer. Talks with Madrid will likely revolve around whether the Spaniards can afford a deal to reach their long-term goal in the current transfer window. Last week they announced a profit of €11.8m in their 2022/23 financials and revenue of up to €843m.

However, UEFA told them that the sale of future broadcasting and media rights -assets — which amounts to 360 million euros according to Real Play — will not be considered profit under the Financial Fair Play.