After seeing their opening bid worth €30 million for Marco Verratti turned down by Paris Saint-Germain in July, Al-Hilal have made an improved proposal.
Keen to make another box-office midfield signing, the Saudi Pro League giants have upped their opening offer by 50%, reaching the figure of €45m, as per La Gazzetta dello Sport.
However, despite receiving the player’s go-ahead a fortnight ago, the Saudis could miss out on a required agreement with PSG as Les Parisiens hold out for a massive €80m asking price.
Verratti has agreed to join Al-Hilal, having been promised triple his current wages at the Parc des Princes to cut short his long-term association with the record-time Ligue 1 champions.
The Italy international’s net annual salary in France is €14m, meaning the loaded Saudi outfit are willing to hand him a mind-blowing €42m-a-year contract to move to Riyadh.
They have recruited two top-class European midfielders this summer in the shape of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Ruben Neves from Lazio and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
Kalidou Koulibaly and Malcom have also landed at the King Fahd Stadium in a world-changing transfer window performed by Al-Hilal as part of Saudi Arabia’s bid to change the football landscape.
Brimming with confidence after pulling off numerous high-profile deals, they tried to acquire Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe this summer but to no avail.
Considering PSG’s unwillingness to sell Verratti, they could miss out on another premium target.
As one of the pioneers of the Qatari era in Paris, the 30-year-old midfielder is one of the pillars of Luis Enrique’s squad.
He has recorded over 410 appearances for PSG during his 11-year stint at the club, growing into one of the most influential figures at the Parc des Princes.
Verratti has been instrumental to Les Parisiens’ supreme domestic runs in the past decade and remains a crucial part of their midfield.
On that basis, it’s no wonder the French heavyweights are not excited about the idea of losing him.
