With Lionel Messi gone and Neymar’s future in question amid a flurry of transfer rumours, Kylian Mbappe is the latest Paris Saint-Germain star looking primed to leave the French capital.
Considered one of the best players on the planet, Mbappe has been with the Parisians since his arrival in 2018 from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.
Mbappe, still just 24, has become a club icon and while other big-money stars in Paris have fallen out of favor with fans during their struggles in Europe, he has remained a fan favourite.
Yet even their knight in shining armor could now be on his way out as PSG look set to introduce a new transfer and recruitment policy. Les Parisiens are looking to move away from the arrival of superstars and build more from within, and Mbappe has decided his future lies elsewhere.
Despite his sensational decision to re-sign with PSG last summer, it already looks like Mbappe’s time at the Parc des Princes may be coming to an end sooner than expected.
Is Mbappe leaving PSG? Latest news, reports on French star
According to Tariq Panja of the New York Times, Kylian Mbappe has told PSG that he will not renew his contract any further past his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2024. Mbappe reportedly informed PSG of his intention to move on in a letter, according to a report by French publication L’Equipe.
That has left PSG with a decision to make. They will either need to sell this summer and recoup a big fee for his service, or see him run down the final year of his contract with the club and leave next summer for free.
Real Madrid have been the club most closely linked with Mbappe once he leaves PSG. It was thought the French star would join Madrid last summer before performing a sensational U-turn and remaining with PSG. However, now could be the perfect chance for Madrid to pounce.
Mbappe PSG wages, salary, transfer fee
Despite flirting heavily with a move to Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer, Mbappe eventually signed a new contract with PSG, putting off a move away from the French capital for a time.
His deal with PSG was a two-year contract with a player option for a third year, much like the deal that Lionel Messi signed with PSG the summer before. Messi declined his option at the end of the current season, walking away in favour of a forthcoming move to Inter Miami.
According to Sky, the PSG deal surpassed the terms of the concurrent Real Madrid offer, which included a £110 million ($137 million) signing bonus and £20 million ($25 million) of annual net salary. Sky said that the PSG signing bonus was also in the region of £100 million ($125 million) with a monthly salary (£4 million / $5 million) that doubled his previous PSG pay.
Mbappe to Real Madrid: Could transfer happen this summer?
According to Tariq Panja’s report in the New York Times, Real Madrid is “the most likely destination” for Mbappe once he leaves PSG, whether that be this summer, or in 2024.
Mbappe has been public about his admiration for the Spanish club, who he has supported since he was a young child.
The admiration has been mutual, with Real Madrid offering him the richest contract in club history last summer before he eventually turned down Los Blancos. While he angered the Real Madrid fans in doing so, a player of his calibre would likely be welcomed to the Bernabeu regardless should he decide to eventually join.
The possible roadblock to Mbappe’s move to Madrid this summer is the transfer fee involved, which would be significant, despite his contract only having one year remaining. PSG would look to receive top dollar from Madrid, and if the Spanish club wishes to pay Mbappe the same excessive wages they offered him last summer, they would likely struggle to then pony up an additional transfer fee of high value.
Therefore, it’s tough to imagine Mbappe moving this summer, and the most likely result is a switch on a free transfer in the summer of 2024. If he were to move in the next few months, in all likelihood, either he would have to take a cut in wages from the previous offer, or PSG would have to accept a transfer fee smaller than anticipated. Given PSG have very little leverage here, it’s possible they could concede in terms of the agreed fee, but otherwise, all parties would have to wait a year.
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