Al-Hilal give up Kylian Mbappe pursuit to make monster ‘£171m offer’ for Man Utd target

Al-Hilal has reportedly given up the pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe to devote himself to Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

Yesterday it was said Mbappe and his representatives had refused to meet with Al-Hilal officials in Paris on Wednesday to discuss a possible transfer of the world record holder to Saudi Arabia.

Mbappe’s PSG have allowed the Saudi Pro League side to speak to the French forward in person after receiving a written offer of £259m for the player.

It has been reported that the Al Hilal delegation hopes to sell their Mbappé project to Paris, thereby completing the signing of Brazilian striker Malcom from Zenit St Petersburg.

However, according to French sports outlet L’Equipe, Mbappe and his team have refused any negotiations with the Saudi club and he has never considered such an option. Mbappé’s future at PSG has been in serious doubt since it was announced in June that he would not renew his existing contract until 2025, meaning he will become a free agent next summer and are in talks about a move, a pre-contractual agreement with another player could club already in January.

PSG have not confirmed the reports that Mbappe has snubbed Al Hilal’s approach, but are understood to be convinced that Mbappe has already agreed a free transfer to Real Madrid next summer.

And now L’Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi is claiming that Al-Hilal have now moved on to Osimhen, who has been heavily linked with Man Utd over the last couple of years.

Tanzi tweeted: “After the failure of their attempt on Mbappe, Al-Hilal will position themselves very quickly on Victor Osimhen.”

And Corriere Della Sera insists there has been a €200m (£171m) offer from the Saudi side with Napoli ‘worried’ about losing their striker.

French transfer expert Jonathan Johnson has his own update on Mbappe with Osimhen also a name on PSG’s transfer hit list.

Johnson said in his Caught Offside column: “If PSG were to bank €300m from selling Mbappe, I’m not sure it would actually change their transfer plans significantly – the players they’ve looked at already have pretty big price tags. They have looked the situations regarding players like Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane, so those are players already on PSG’s radar, it’s just that there’s the feeling they might not be the best fit.

“I don’t expect PSG’s plans to really change based on the huge windfall from the sale of Mbappe – what they really have to plan for is how that front line would be structured. PSG’s star power has already taken a bit of a hit with Lionel Messi leaving, so it would be another massive hit if Mbappe goes as well. It would surely mean Neymar staying put and becoming the face of the project, unless they were able to land another big name.

“PSG have been interested in Bernardo Silva throughout the transfer window and it seems the situation at Manchester City, who have already lost some big names, could make the hunt difficult, but if they suddenly have the cash that could allow them an entry .” .” One thing speaks for a player of this caliber, I think they certainly would

“All the uncertainty surrounding Mbappé certainly leaves him a little embarrassed when it comes to planning next season. Luis Enrique is currently trying to compete against PSG but at the moment without Mbappé there is no real source of goals for him and Neymar is still recovering from the surgery.

So apparently PSG needed a reliable goalscorer if they were going to lose Mbappé and get all the money from Al Hilal, so that’s not the case.

What PSG are aiming for in the transfer market changes a lot in a direct sense, but it’s doing things with that in mind financial fair play and other considerations a little easier: you could suddenly safely continue with some known goals over downloading others.

“When it comes to attacking goals, PSG is still closely linked to Rasmus Hojlund. He’s a fantastic talent but I think he’s a better fit for what Manchester United are trying to do at the moment. The pressure on Hojlund would be huge if he were to move.” PSG are set to replace Mbappe – he doesn’t have the same skill set as some of the names mentioned above like Osimhen or Kane or even Goncalo Ramos who has also been linked to the interest however, be real, L’Equipe say now PSG have made an official offer. It’s hard to predict with certainty but I think Manchester United will eventually beat PSG after signing – they would have a chance to play more at Old Trafford and immediately become a more important player than PSG where he will most likely come up with ideas . build on it in the future.

And while Hojlund has great potential, his price tag for someone with his track record is clearly pretty high. For a little more money, PSG could probably get a more established player with a track record. I really don’t see PSG offering anything that would be enough to beat United through Hojlund.