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Football
Mohamed Salah's rejected £150 million offer ranks among football's largest refused bids, alongside names like Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi.
Modern football has witnessed unprecedented inflation in transfer markets, with major clubs and investment funds willing to pay hundreds of millions to secure top talents. Despite these enormous offers, some clubs have steadfastly refused to sell key players, rejecting deals that could have shattered transfer records.
A recent report by the global network Planet Football highlighted a list of the largest rejected transfer offers in football history, brought back into focus by Real Madrid’s interest in Argentine Julian Álvarez. This list includes renowned players such as Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Kaká, and Harry Kane.
Leading the list is Kylian Mbappé, who received the highest rejected bid in football history. In the summer of 2023, Saudi club Al-Hilal made a colossal offer of €300 million (approximately £259 million) to acquire the Paris Saint-Germain star. While PSG was open to the sale, Mbappé himself declined, holding onto his ambition to join Real Madrid. A year later, he fulfilled that dream by moving to the Spanish giants on a free transfer, one of the most notable free transfers of the century.
Another major rejected offer was made by Inter Milan in 2006 for Lionel Messi. According to Barcelona president Joan Laporta, Inter attempted to pay €250 million (£225 million) for the then-budding Messi. Barcelona’s management firmly declined the offer, allowing Messi to continue his historic career at Camp Nou, where he became the club’s all-time top scorer and one of football’s greatest players.
Real Madrid also made significant attempts to sign Mbappé before his contract with PSG expired. In the summer of 2021, the Spanish club submitted three consecutive bids, the highest reaching £171.7 million. PSG rejected all proposals, but Madrid ultimately secured Mbappé on a free transfer after his contract ended.
Mohamed Salah was a prominent target for the Saudi Professional League during the summer of 2023. Al-Ittihad club presented a substantial offer valued at £150 million, including bonuses and incentives, aiming to persuade Liverpool to part with their all-time top scorer. However, Liverpool’s management refused to even discuss the offer due to its late timing in the transfer window, insisting Salah remain with the team. Salah subsequently continued to deliver impressive performances, significantly contributing to the club’s successes in the following seasons.
The latest addition to this list is Julian Álvarez. After Florentino Pérez was re-elected as Real Madrid president, the club officially submitted a €150 million (£129 million) offer to sign the Argentine forward from Atlético Madrid. Atlético’s management immediately rejected the proposal, affirming their commitment to Álvarez and citing a release clause in his contract.
Barcelona attempted to re-sign Neymar two years after his move to PSG, presenting an offer exceeding £120.5 million plus three players, including Ousmane Dembélé, Ivan Rakitić, and Jean-Clair Todibo. However, PSG altered the terms at the last moment, causing negotiations to collapse and ending hopes of reuniting the historic "MSN" trio.
In the summer of 2017, Barcelona pursued Brazilian Philippe Coutinho following his impressive performances at Liverpool. The English club rejected multiple bids starting at £72 million and rising to £90 million, before turning down a final offer of £119 million. Barcelona eventually secured Coutinho in January 2018 for £142 million, a transfer later regarded as one of the club’s biggest failures.
In 2025, Liverpool sought to sign Swedish striker Alexander Isak despite having acquired Hugo Ekitike. The Reds initially offered £110 million, which Newcastle United immediately rejected. Newcastle later agreed to a record-breaking deal worth £125 million in the final hours of the transfer window.
After Sergio Agüero’s departure in summer 2021, Manchester City prioritized signing Harry Kane. They made a substantial £100 million bid, including the possibility of player exchanges, but Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy refused to release the team captain. Following this failed attempt, City signed Norwegian Erling Haaland, while Kane eventually transferred to Bayern Munich.
In January 2009, shortly after Emirati ownership took over Manchester City, the club attempted a groundbreaking signing of Brazilian star Kaká from AC Milan, the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner. City offered £100 million, a world record at the time, but Kaká chose to remain at Milan before later moving to Real Madrid for only £56 million.
