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The most protracted transfer saga in world football took another turn Thursday after The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported Kylian Mbappé told Paris Saint-Germain he intends to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
World football insider Fabrizio Romano provided more context:
Real Madrid has long been considered the next stop in Mbappé’s career. However, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic reported Monday the 25-year-old had yet to agree to terms on a contract. In fact, “influential members of his entourage have been left unconvinced by the Spanish club’s offer, which is delaying the process,” per Cortegana.
The timing of Mbappé’s decision is a little odd with PSG still alive in the Champions League and one day removed from a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad in the round-of-16 first leg. He could head out the door as a European champion along with collecting another Ligue 1 winner’s medal that’s all but inevitable.
From a financial perspective, PSG couldn’t have played this much worse.
The Parisians turned down a reported bid of €160 million for Mbappé ahead of the 2021-22 season. He ultimately signed a three-year extension in May 2022 that temporarily silenced the steady speculation surrounding his future. It was quite the U-turn because he appeared headed to Real Madrid.
Now, Paris Saint-Germain will lose one of the brightest talents in the world without recouping a transfer fee. One could also read Mbappé’s choice to finally leave as another indictment of the club’s general quest to be considered on par with Europe’s established elite.
Money has never been an issue since Qatar Sports Investments assumed majority control, though, and PSG may simply want to rip off the bandage at this point.
While Paris Saint-Germain will be worse without Mbappé, his departure could be a weight off everyone’s shoulders. The club can execute the kind of cultural and tactical reset that’s badly needed. Focusing less on attracting marquee talent and more on building a cohesive squad could pay big dividends.
Now, the clock is ticking on how long until an agreement between Mbappé and Real Madrid is reported because there doesn’t seem to be an alternative.
The 2018 World Cup winner once spurned a massive offer to play in Saudi Arabia, and the sheen is already coming off the Saudis’ ambitious project. The star striker is also a symbol of world football’s present era in that he should theoretically be coveted by every major club but basically only has one realistic option (Real Madrid) if he wants to stay on the continent.
Mbappé’s transfer to Madrid would be cause for celebration on two different levels. Madridistas will love adding him to a core that includes Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, Eduardo Camavinga and Rodrygo. Everyone else, meanwhile, will be happy this is finally over.