Kylian Mbappé has informed Paris Saint-Germain of his intention to depart the French champions after this season, potentially causing a race among the top European teams.
The 25-year-old’s exit will mark the end of a seven-year era in which he solidified his reputation as the top striker in the world. Mbappé has been a desired player for Real Madrid for a while, but they have not come to an agreement with the Spanish team, giving a chance for a Premier League club to potentially meet his high financial requirements.
Mbappé, who received a record-breaking offer of £259m from Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal in July of last year but declined it, will become a free agent at the end of June as he has chosen not to extend his contract for an additional year. The details of his departure have yet to be determined, as the club and player are working together to finalize the specifics in the upcoming months.
Mbappé has the option to leave for free once his contract expires, but there are various ways he could depart in a manner that satisfies all parties involved. One potential scenario is that he extends his contract with the agreement that he will be sold, ensuring PSG receives a transfer fee. Other possibilities include using his signing-on fee with his next team to compensate PSG or making financial concessions upon leaving, such as forgoing bonus payments. It is anticipated that he will come to an agreement with the club that helped him reach the highest level of his career.
Real Madrid is considering offering Mbappé their highest salary, even though he rejected them in 2022 and decided to stay with PSG for now. However, negotiations have not progressed significantly and other interested teams, from England or elsewhere, may still see an opportunity to sway his decision.
PSG had initially desired for Mbappé, who achieved a hat-trick for France in the final of the 2022 World Cup, to continue his time with the team. However, the club will now utilize his departure to aid in their transition towards a younger team.
Next season will be their first since 2016-17 without any of Mbappé, Neymar and Lionel Messi; it marks what PSG see as a parting of the ways with the “Galáctico” era and removing the annual £171m cost of his salary will pave the way for multiple arrivals. Victor Osimhen, the Napoli striker, is thought to be among their targets and a new deal is also in line for the midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery, PSG’s 17-year-old homegrown prodigy.
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On Wednesday evening, Mbappé scored in the first-leg victory against Real Sociedad in the Champions League round of 16. PSG is hopeful that their star player will finally secure Europe’s top prize, in addition to his five Ligue 1 titles.
Source: theguardian.com
