‘You can take me:’ NBA stars joke about Kylian Mbappé’s reported salary offer from Saudi club Al Hilal
Mbappé's relationship with PSG has seemingly broken down this season.
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Kylian Mbappé is very much the talk of the sporting world this week as the Frenchman’s transfer saga took a new twist on Monday.
With his position at Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) currently at an impasse, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal reportedly offered to smash the world record transfer fee and pay $332 million (€300 million) for the striker.
It’s a proposed deal which reportedly includes a staggering $775 million salary packet for the 24-year-old Mbappé.
News of the offer spread through social media on Monday and caught the attention of the NBA’s biggest stars.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo posted a picture of himself to Twitter, with the caption: “Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe.”
Mbappé, who has yet to directly address the new offer or speak about the transfer rumors surrounding him publicly, reacted to the post with 13 crying laughing emojis.
Two-time NBA MVP Antetokounmpo wasn’t the only NBA star taken aback by the eye-watering money at play.
Basketball icon LeBron James also took to Twitter to share a joke, posting a video of Forest Gump running with the caption: “Me headed to Saudi when they call @RichPaul4 & @mavcarter for that 1 year deal!”
In 2022, James signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers which took the 37-year-old to $532 million in guaranteed career earnings, making him the highest paid player in terms of salary in NBA history, surpassing Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
It’s a figure dwarfed by the earnings that Mbappé would reportedly receive for one season at Al Hilal.
Portland Trail Blazer guard Damian Lillard got involved and tweeted, “1 year 776mm? Wtf lol …” while Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green also chimed in on Twitter: “They got basketball leagues too right? Don’t the ink on my contract has dried up yet.”
Mbappé has been left out of PSG’s squad for its preseason tour of Japan, with the club having issued him an ultimatum to sign a new contract or be sold.
PSG has not yet accepted the offer from Al Hilal but a club spokesperson told CNN it was considering the bid.
CNN has reached out to Al Hilal and Mbappé’s representatives for comment.
Despite publicly declaring he wants to stay in Paris for the upcoming 2023/24 season, Mbappé is said to be unhappy in the French capital.
According to multiple reports in June, Mbappé informed PSG that he will not be exercising his third-year option in his contract, leaving the club with a decision to make – sell their star player this summer or let him walk for free in 2024.
If the superstar does move to Saudi Arabia, it would be a huge boost to the nation’s ambitions for a competitive soccer league, which already boasts the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.
In recent months a number of other leading European soccer stars – notably Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kanté, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Roberto Firmino – have made the switch to the Saudi Pro League (SPL) which is threatening to disrupt the status quo of world soccer.
However, chief executive of the English Premier League, arguably the most influential league in the world, Richard Masters said he is not yet concerned by the growth of the SPL.
“Something new is obviously happening,” Masters told BBC Sport. “The Saudi Pro League have stated they want to be a top 10 league by 2030.
“They are obviously investing in players and investing in managers to try to raise the profile of the league and clubs.
“It has taken us 30 years to get to the position that we have in terms of profile, competitiveness and the revenue streams that we have.
“I wouldn’t be too concerned at the moment but, obviously, Saudi Arabian clubs have as much right to purchase players as any other league does.
“In the end, the Premier League is a six billion-a-year operation in terms of revenue and that money is spent reinvested into the pitch.”
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