안전놀이터The superstar hunt is on.
“Al Hilal have targeted Robert Lewandowski after their bid for Kylian Mbappe fell through,” Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reported on Monday.
The Saudi league is a popular destination for superstars to finish their careers. The level of play is better than ever and the paychecks are huge.
The signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to capitalize on the superstar effect and open the door for other players.
Recently, the superstar arrivals have increased, with the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Leo Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Édouard Mendy, and others forming an ultra-luxury squad that extends to Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has been a hot commodity in the transfer market this summer. Mbappe has been in the news this summer after a falling out with Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappe has sent out strong signals that he wants to leave PSG this summer.
The PSG president and Mbappe met on the training ground, but there was a chill in the air, with no sign of a one-on-one meeting.
To add insult to injury, PSG brought along key resources like Lee Kang-in and Neymar, but left Mbappe off the Japan tour roster after he refused to sign a contract extension.
Mbappe had a point. His contract with PSG expires next summer, and he has reportedly indicated that he is prepared to sit on the bench rather than play until he becomes a free agent.
PSG are said to be fed up with Mbappe’s attitude and are ready to sell.
That’s where Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal come in, with a bid for Mbappe.
Al Hilal are reportedly willing to pay a transfer fee of €300 million ($425.4 million) and offer €700 million ($992.8 million) in salary.
However, Mbappe chose romance over money and rejected Al Hilal’s offer.
With Mbappe out of the picture, Al-Hilal changed course and targeted goal-scoring machine Lewandowski, who left Bayern Munich for a new challenge at Barcelona.