Kylian Mbappe to Saudi Arabia? What Pro League director said about signing PSG ace
The France forward was the subject of a huge Saudi bid in the summer and Michael Emenalo says a transfer could still happen
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe remains a target for the Saudi Pro League despite a failed bid last summer, the competition's director of football has said.
Chelsea former technical director, Michael Enemalo, now works for the Saudi Pro League and the Nigerian insists the "conversation is open" with Mbappe.
"With Mbappe, the conversation is open," he told Marca. "But we don’t know what he wants to do.
"Our position is clear: all of these kinds of players know where we are. If there is a possibility or an interest from Mbappe to be a part of what we're building, today or in the future, we can’t reject the possibility.
And he added: "He is a player that I like."
In the summer, PSG received an enormous bid for Mbappe from a Saudi club, believed to be in the region of €300 miilon (£259m).
With the France forward out of contract at the end of this season, PSG were ready to accept the offer, but Mbappe chose to remain at the Parc des Princes.
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With a new deal unlikely at PSG, Mbappe is likely to receive a number of offers in the summer, when he will be available on a free contract – albeit on huge wages.
Mbappe was initially excluded by PSG at the start of the season due to his unwillingness to discuss fresh terms, but returned to the team and has scored 18 goals in his 20 appearances in 2023/24 – including 15 in 14 Ligue 1 games.
PSG and Mbappe are in action again on Sunday against Lille in Ligue 1.
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Ben Hayward is a European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world - including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America - and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.
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