View: Kylian Mbappe to Tottenham would be a financial nightmare
Kylian Mbappe could reportedly move away from Paris Saint-Germain this summer and to the surprise of many, he has been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
It seems like fairytale stuff on the surface and many will even scoff at the suggestion that Mbappe could line up in the Premier League in the colours of Lilywhite. First and foremost, the player would surely have no interest in the move himself.
However, as reported by iNews (28 July), Tottenham have made an enquiry over the signing of the French superstar, which feels more like a hopeful punt rather than a serious pursuit.
Daniel Levy is reluctant to pay more than £40million for a signing at the best of times, so the suggestion that he could make the finances available to bring the World Cup Winner to North London seems laughable.
Although it does leave the question, where will Mbappe play his football next year? It seems all but confirmed that the 24-year-old will head to Real Madrid on a free transfer when his current contract expires next summer and PSG have no interest in playing the forward ever again.
What this means is that he faces a very real risk of sitting on the bench for a year, which he will certainly not want to do with the European Championships approaching next summer. There is no doubt that he will still be selected for the national squad, but a lack of match fitness could hinder his chances at the tournament.
Some Spurs fans will suggest that they are one of the most successful clubs in the world financially, and with the offer of Premier League football, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be competing with other clubs in the division for the likes of Mbappe, especially if it is just a one-year deal. Although, after seeing the offer he recently rejected, they might think differently.
Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal wanted to make Mbappe the poster boy of the country’s growing football revolution, and as a placeholder, until he moves to Spain, it appeared to make perfect sense. They offered the Parisian club a world-record transfer offer in excess of £200million, which was of course quickly accepted, but Mbappe himself said no.
This is despite the fact that he would have pocketed a mind-boggling £600million in just one season, and it is this reported salary which underlines how ridiculous the suggestion that Spurs could compete for his signature is.
The highest earner at Tottenham is Harry Kane. He earns just over £10million per year [The Times] which is sixty times less than what Mbappe was being offered to head to the Middle East. Sixty.
Spurs’ financial revenue for the year ending June 2022 saw them make just over £400million in revenue, around two-thirds of what Al Hilal were offering the French forward for one year of football. Ridiculous.
Of course, no Premier League club could match those sorts of wages, not just Tottenham, but even his PSG salary would be hard to come close to.
In Paris, he nets around £1million weekly with add-ons on top. This means Levy would need to pay the player five times what he currently pays Kane, which would most certainly never happen.
So unless Mbappe is willing to take a huge wage cut to play at Tottenham, a deal doesn’t appear possible and this dream should be swiftly put to rest.
In other Tottenham news, another, more realistic, talented youngster from Ligue 1 is on the club’s radar.