NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo offers himself to Al-Hilal in place of Mbappe

NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo is keeping track of what's happening in the football world, and he wants a piece of the pie! The Milwaukee Bucks star has come out to boldly offer his services to Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal after news broke that they have offered Paris Saint-Germain player Kylian Mbappe a $1.1 billion deal.

What's the fuss all about?

Those who are following the summer transfer window in Europe are well aware of Mbappe's decision to opt out of his one-year extension with PSG which should have kept him at the Parc des Princes until 2025.

His current deal with PSG was signed just last summer, and is still valid until the end of the incoming campaign. He has indicated his desire to stay another year to fulfil the remainder of his contract, but the club is not amenable to his decision. Simply put, if he refuses to sign a contract extension, he will be free to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires in 2024.

PSG have invested a lot in the Frenchman, and they do not wish to see him go for free. As such, they laid out an ultimatum telling him to either extend or find another employer this summer.

Here's where things get interesting. Real Madrid is known to be Mbappe's target destination, and the Spanish giants are more than happy to wait for his contract to expire in 2024. Now that PSG are keen to sell, it is unclear if Florentino Perez is willing to splash the cash on a player that should be available for free in just twelve months.

Saudi Arabia swoops in to take advantage of the situation

The relationship between Mbappe and PSG continues to deteriorate, and the footballer will not have a hospitable environment in the locker room if he decides to stay. Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal has reportedly offered PSG a record-breaking £259 million transfer fee for the player, something that Real Madrid would not be willing to match.

Mbappe himself could potentially earn up to £604m in wages and commercial deals over the span of just one year if he agrees to the move. On top of that, Al-Hilal is reportedly willing to allow Mbappe to leave on a free transfer in 2024 so that he can still join Real Madrid as he originally planned.

The entire situation seems absurd to those looking from the outside, but after the Saudi Pro League attracted the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the span of six months, anything seems possible. The World Cup-winning forward is a prime target for any club in the world, and not many can afford him. However, the oil-backed clubs in Saudi Arabia have shown time and again that the massive costs could hardly make them blink.

It will essentially be a temporary move for Mbappe, but it is one that sees nearly all parties involved satisfied.

Antetokounmpo offers himself to Al-Hilal

The eye-watering deal has hilariously caught the eye of the Milwaukee Bucks star, who is known to be a big football fan due to his upbringing in Greece. Antetokounmpo took to social media to share a photo of himself while saying: "Al Hilal you can take me. I look like Kylian Mbappe."

There may be a very slight resemblance, but no one can be fooled into mistaking Antetokounmpo for Mbappe. However, that did not stop the basketball star from trying to cash in on the trending topic.

Of course, Antetokounmpo is not strapped for cash himself. He earns a sizable salary of approximately $45 million per season with the Bucks. He is only about to enter the third in a five-year deal, and he will likely be able to re-negotiate a bigger contract with whichever team he plays for beyond his current deal.

Nevertheless, the Mbappe deal seems too good to be true even for the other top athletes in the world. Hilariously, the PSG star saw the Greek Freak's tweet and responded with a series of laugh/cry emojis. He did not drop any hints about the veracity of the reports, and neither did he confirm if such an offer even exists.

Speculations are swirling about Mbappe's future, but the only thing that is certain for now is that PSG dropped him from the roster of their summer tour. This makes it clear that they are not keen on having him around for the coming season.