SAUDI PRO LEAGUE
Kylian Mbappe set to join Ighalo’s former Saudi club, Al Hilal for record $332 million
After missing out on Lionel Messi, Saudi Arabian soccer team Al-Hilal made a record 300 million euro ($332 million) bid for Kylian Mbappe on Monday, an offer which could see the France striker join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich kingdom.
Paris Saint-Germain confirmed the offer for its player and has given Al-Hilal permission to open negotiations directly with Mbappe.
The 2018 World Cup winner is in a contract standoff with PSG after his decision not to take up the option of a 12-month extension on his deal. Instead, he plans to walk away as a free agent at the end of the upcoming season when he is widely expected to join Real Madrid.
PSG cut Mbappe from its preseason tour of Japan on Saturday, with the French club determined to sell him unless he can be convinced to sign a new contract.
A new deal now looks highly unlikely with relations between the 24-year-old Mbappe and PSG becoming increasingly tense.
Earlier this year, Al-Hilal failed in an attempt to sign Messi, with the Argentina great choosing to join Inter Miami instead.
The bid for Mbappe would make him the most expensive soccer player in history, overtaking the $262 million PSG paid for Neymar, who joined from Barcelona in 2017.
The offer represents Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious move yet as part of a determined recruitment drive to lure the game’s biggest players to the country.
After Ronaldo agreed to join Al-Nassr in December, Saudi teams have gone into overdrive by targeting leading names from Europe’s top leagues. Real Madrid great and current Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema signed for Saudi champion Al-Ittihad last month and has been joined by 2018 World Cup winner N’Golo Kante.
Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marcelo Brozovic are among other big names to head to the lucrative Saudi league, which is making mega-money offers to players in a bid to raise the profile and quality of soccer in the country.
While that was not enough to convince Messi to join Al-Hilal after leaving PSG, more stars are expected to follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo and Co.
Premier League players like Riyad Mahrez and Jordan Henderson have recently been linked with moves from Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively.
The reported salaries and commercial deals for Ronaldo, Benzema and Kante could earn them a combined figure of nearly $1 billion.
Mbappe has said he plans to see out the final year of his contract, which would leave PSG powerless to prevent him from leaving for nothing next year.
The French champions, who are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, have already seen Messi leave for nothing in return and are determined to earn a fee for a player who is widely considered one of the few capable of taking over from Messi and Ronaldo as soccer’s biggest star.
His omission from PSG’s touring squad in Japan raises the possibility that he could be benched next season if he refuses to sign a contract or agree to leave during this transfer window.
Al-Hilal are said to be among a host of clubs that have been alerted to his potential availability, but it is unlikely any could match the bid that has been put forward.
There has been an expectation that he would join Madrid, which had a bid of $190 million rejected by PSG in 2021. Madrid is in need of a top class forward after losing Benzema at the end of the season.
Mbappe had until July 31 to trigger a one-year extension on his contract. He has been at the club since 2017 after signing from Monaco in a transfer worth a reported $190 million.
Saudi Arabia has sought in recent years to buy its way into international sports. Besides Ronaldo, whose contract reportedly earns him up to $200 million a year, Saudi-funded LIV Golf has shaken up professional golf.
-AP
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo will travel to Spain for rehabilitation after sustaining a hamstring injury, Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Nassr’s coach Jorge Jesus said on Friday.
The 41-year-old, who has netted 21 goals in 22 games this season in the SPL, was injured in a 3-1 win over Al-Fayha on Saturday.
“After examining Ronaldo’s injury, it became clear that he needs a period of rest and treatment, so we decided to send him to Spain,” Jesus told a press conference.
“The medical staff diagnosed Ronaldo’s condition and confirmed that he is unable to take part in tomorrow’s match or the following one (against Al‑Khaleej)”.
It remains unclear whether the five-times Ballon d’Or winner will be fit to participate in Portugal’s friendlies against Mexico on March 29 and the U.S. on April 1.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Karim Benzema has joined Al-Hilal, the Saudi Pro League leaders announced on Monday, following the termination of his contract with Al-Ittihad.
Local media reported that the move to Al-Hilal came after Benzema rejected an offer to extend his contract with Al-Ittihad. The former French striker had missed the team’s previous two league matches.
“Al-Hilal signed French star Karim Benzema on a free transfer to represent the football team for one and a half years,” the Saudi club said in a statement.
Benzema had a successful spell with the Jeddah-based Al-Ittihad, leading them to the league title and the King’s Cup last season. It was the first domestic double in Al‑Ittihad’s history.
“This journey gave me a lot, both personally and professionally,” Benzema, who joined Al-Ittihad on a free transfer in 2023 after 14 years with Real Madrid, said on X.
“I leave with my head held high, proud to have worn these colours and of everything we shared.”
The former Real Madrid striker, 38, scored 16 goals in 21 matches for Al-Ittihad in all competitions this season.
Al-Hilal sit top of the league standings with 47 points, one point ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr. Al-Ittihad are sixth with 34 points.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that his long and illustrious playing career will come to an end “soon,” admitting that while stepping away from football will be emotionally difficult, he has been preparing for the transition for years.
The 40-year-old Al Nassr striker, who holds the record as football’s all-time top scorer with 952 goals for club and country, spoke candidly about his future during an interview on Piers Morgan Uncensored published on Tuesday.
“Soon,” Ronaldo said when asked when he plans to retire. “I think I will be prepared. It will be very, very difficult. But I’ve been preparing for my future since I was 25, 26, 27 years old. I believe I’ll be ready to handle it.”
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has previously set himself a target of reaching 1,000 career goals, acknowledged that nothing will ever match the thrill of scoring. “Nothing compares to the adrenaline you get from scoring a goal,” he said. “But everything has a beginning and an end. I’ll have more time for myself, for my family, and to raise my kids.”
Ronaldo, who enjoyed two spells at Manchester United, also expressed his sadness over the club’s decline in recent years. Despite his difficult departure from Old Trafford three years ago, he said he still follows United’s fortunes.
“I’m sad because Manchester United is one of the most important clubs in the world and a club I still have in my heart,” he said. “But they don’t have a structure. I hope that changes soon, because the club’s potential is amazing.”
Reflecting on United’s struggles — including last season’s 15th-place finish, their worst since 1973–74 — Ronaldo added: “They’re not on a good path. And it’s not just about the coach or the players. In my opinion, he (manager Ruben Amorim) is doing his best. But what can you do? Miracles are impossible.”
As Ronaldo’s extraordinary career edges toward its conclusion, his words signal the closing chapter of one of football’s greatest ever journeys — a career defined by records, resilience, and relentless ambition.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- WAFCON4 days ago
BREAKING: CAF Postpones WAFCON 2026
- OBITUARY5 days ago
Nigerian Sports Journalism Mourns Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu
- MLS1 week ago
Trump to Host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at the White House
- World Cup5 days ago
‘I really don’t care’ if Iran plays in World Cup, Trump tells Politico
- World Cup4 days ago
Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
- FA Cup2 days ago
Eze thunderbolt guides Arsenal past Mansfield into FA Cup quarter-finals
- MLS3 days ago
Trump celebrates Messi
- World Cup3 days ago
World Cup 2026: U-20 World Cup Winner Ouahbi Takes Charge of Morocco’s Atlas Lions