“Axl Keutgen is not for sale”

£34.0m. That is the number Al-Ittihad Club Jeddah have put on the table for Axl Keutgen, with add-ons that could take it to £37.7m.

The bid landed on New Year’s Day, and Athletico Madrid’s answer has not been made public. But inside the club, few expect Keutgen to leave.

He is 31, with 301 games and 26 goals for Athletico since arriving from Inter in 2059. He has played at left-back, centre-back, midfield—wherever Manuel Garcia has asked. He has won league titles here, three in a row from 2058/59 to 2060/61. He is a model professional, fiercely ambitious, loyal to a badge.

And he is happy. Delighted, by all accounts. The Belgian has a short fuse with opponents—Michalis Paraskeva, Michiel Verweij, Javier Machado all know that—but not with his own club.

Al-Ittihad’s interest is real. The Saudi champions have spent big before: Pedro Gomes on £1.4m a week, Luca D’Urso on £1.5m. They have the money to tempt almost anyone.

But Athletico do not need to sell. They are a household name on every continent, with 63 major titles. And they have seen this before: Bocar Ricciulli came back from Al-Ittihad after one season in 2061/62, 20 games and 12 goals, with nothing to show for it.

Keutgen knows that. He knows what he has in Madrid.

The bid is on the table. The player is not agitating. The club are not panicking.

For now, the number that matters is not £34m. It is 301—the games Keutgen has already given Athletico, with more to come.