Fulham striker still wants to leave Premier League club for Saudi Arabia as Al Hilal make second bid| SolSportHQ
Al Hilal have made a second bid worth close to £30m for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Fulham’s position remains unchanged and they have rejected the offer, insisting the Serbia international is not for sale.
Sky Sports News understands Mitrovic has personally contacted Tony Khan to ask him to accept the offer.
The Serbia striker told Khan that he has contributed significantly during his six years at the club and feels the club is getting fair money for him.
Fulham have already rejected a £25.5m bid for Mitrovic from the Saudi club.
Sources close to the player have told Sky Sports News the 28-year-old wants to leave the Premier League side and join the Saudi Pro League.
The Serbia international scored 14 league goals last season to help Fulham finish in the top half of the table.
Mitrovic’s goals also played a key role in helping the west London club to return to the top flight from the Championship on two occasions.
The forward joined Fulham, initially on loan in February 2018, before signing permanently for around £25m later that year.
Al Hilal have been one of the busiest Saudi Arabian clubs in this transfer window – and have already claimed one major Premier League coup in Wolves captain Ruben Neves.
The Portuguese midfielder, who was captain at Wolves, completed a £47m move to the Pro League club earlier this summer.
Al Hilal have also signed Kalidou Koulibaly from Chelsea, while Sky in Italy report that Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is close to a £34.5m move to the same club.
Milikovic-Savic, who is Mitrovic’s international team-mate with Serbia, is reportedly set to sign a contract worth over £17m per year.
The other high-profile player Al Hilal have is former Sporting Lisbon and Benfica forward Andre Carillo, who has 92 caps for Peru and spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Watford.
What is Saudi Arabia’s aim for football?
Saudi Arabia are signing some of world football’s most high-profile players this summer – but why is this happening and does this spending power pose a threat to big European clubs?
In 2023 alone, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the Middle Eastern nation on a free transfer, with Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema turning down another season at Real Madrid to join him in the country.
Meanwhile, a host of Chelsea players – including N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy – have swapped Stamford Bridge for Saudi Arabia, while Heung-Min Son, Bernardo Silva and Mitrovic have been targeted.
Back in June, Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol analysed this transfer market trend…
Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
