Kylian Mbappe could become the best-paid athlete in the world if he completes a stunning transfer to Al Hilal.
Saudi officials are desperate to see the France international move to the Gulf State and have launched an outrageous bid for his services.
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A £259million (€300m) offer has been accepted by Paris Saint-Germain after they told Mbappe that they want him to leave this summer.
And that will also include a jaw-dropping one-year contract worth £605m (€700m) from Al Hilal – that would see Mbappe become the best-paid athlete in the world by an enormous distance.
According to Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest-paid athlete in the world currently after moving to Al Nassr and has earned £106m from May 2022 to May 2023.
If Mbappe makes the move to Saudi Arabia – he would earn nearly SIX times this total.
The 24-year-old is already third on the list of best-paid athletes in the world due to his mammoth contract at PSG, who penned him to a two-year extension last summer.
That has seen him earn just over £93.5m in the same period – an extravagant amount but not as much as Lionel Messi, who made £101.4m.
It might be no surprise to see the top three athletes on the Forbes list are footballers – and arguably the biggest three in the world currently.
But they are the only football stars in the top 10, which also has three basketball players, two golfers, one boxer and a former tennis player.
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Incredibly, Mbappe’s potential earnings in Saudi will see him earn more than the top six combined (£552.5m).
NBA superstar LeBron James earned just a fraction less than Mbappe last year, making £93.2m while boxing icon Canelo Alvarez totalled £85.8m in earnings.
Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson have made a pretty penny since also gorging on Saudi’s millions when they joined LIV Golf, reaping £83.45m and £82.67m respectively.
But even if the quartet combined their earnings with Messi and Ronaldo, they would still lag quite significantly behind Mbappe’s Saudi contract.
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Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (£78.3m), tennis ace Roger Federer (£74.2m) and Phoenix Suns basketballer Kevin Durant (£69.5m) make up the rest of the top 10, whose combined value of £222m comes to just over a third of Mbappe’s potential earnings at Al Hilal.
Amazingly, Al Hilal would be prepared to have Mbappe for just one year if he wishes to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2024.
It appears a deal that works out for everyone – PSG do not lose their talisman for nothing when his contract expires, the Saudi Pro League get arguably the best player in the world and Real Madrid still get their man without paying anything.
And, of course, Mbappe will be well paid for his time in the Middle East, it just depends on whether or not the World Cup winner wants to leave Europe.
World’s highest-paid athletes
Earnings from May 2022 to May 2023, according to Forbes
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – £106m – Football
2. Lionel Messi – £101.4m – Football
3. Kylian Mbappe – £93.5m – Football
4. LeBron James – £93.2m – Basketball
5. Canelo Alvarez – £85.8m – Boxing
6. Dustin Johnson – £83.45m – Golf
7. Phil Mickelson – £82.67m – Golf
8. Stephen Curry – £78.3m – Basketball
9. Roger Federer – £74.2m – Tennis
10. Kevin Durant – £69.5m – Basketball
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