Just months after signing a new three year deal at the Parc des Princes, French superstar Kylian Mbappe wants out of Paris Saint Germain.
That is according to various reports, with Spanish reports claiming that PSG are willing to let him depart, provided it is not to Real Madrid, who went head-to-head with PSG for his signature across most of last season.
Julien Laurens told BBC Sport that “He feels betrayed by the club in the sense that all the things the club promised him when he signed that new deal until 2025 have not happened.
“The promised they would sign a new striker so he could play in his best position off the striker, that Neymar wouldn’t be there and he would be sold, that they would sign a centre-back, and he would be at the centre of the project. All of these things have not happened.
“We knew there were tensions and now he has made his mind up and he doesn’t want to be there. He feels he made a mistake by extending his contract and he should have left in the summer, now he is looking at the January transfer window at where he could go.”
The French side would demand a cool £300m to part ways with the Frenchman however, according to reports, which makes him leaving the club a little tricky.
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Chelsea the frontrunners?
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea are coming out of a record-breaking summer transfer window and certainly have the financial pull to bring the Frenchman to west London, while they can also (at present) offer regular Champions League football.
With a misfiring Kai Havertz and an ageing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang their only options at present, the Blues are certainly in need of a new striker, though much will depend on the future of currently on-loan record signing Romelu Lukaku.
The new Chelsea owner is clearly looking to make a splash, at least to begin with, and a major investment on a player like Kylian Mbappe could do just that, and setup the Blues’ frontline for the next decade.
Liverpool’s new statement star?
Jurgen Klopp’s side have already refreshed their ageing frontline with new additions but Kylian Mbappe has been linked with a move to Merseyside before and, should he become available, may tempt the Reds to reconsider.
Mo Salah has been off the boil so far this campaign, while Darwin Nunez has yet to live up to his hefty price tag. The major stumbling block of course will be the price, Jurgen Klopp has previously railed against the idea of signing expensive stars, telling the media ‘The day that this is football, I’m not in a job anymore, because the game is about playing together.
‘Other clubs can go out and spend more money and collect top players.”
‘I want to do it differently. I would even do it differently if I could spend that money.”
Despite previous links then, it seems as though Mbappe to Liverpool is a no-go.
Moving to Manchester?
No matter how tempting it is to dream up frontlines including Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, a move of that magnitude to Manchester City seems unlikely given the current crop of forwards at the Etihad.
There is also the question as to how Mbappe would fit in with Pep Guardiola’s relentless pressing style of football, and whether having both he and new star Haaland in the same side would work from a practical standpoint.
Of course, across Manchester another giant lie in the shape of Manchester United, with Erik ten Hag now in charge of what he is hoping will be a resurgent Red Devils side.
Currently in the Europa League and their mixed form perhaps set to cost them a chance in the Champions League next season, that may be a key factor in Kylian Mbappe’s future. But if they could offer Europe’s top competition and, as expected, Cristiano Ronaldo departs this summer, the finances could work out.
North London in the picture?
For both Tottenham and Arsenal, signing Kylian Mbappe seems like a massive longshot. For the Gunners, signing a world superstar with a sizeable ego to boot would go against much of the work he has done to harmonise the dressing room and return the feelgood factor to the Emirates.
For Spurs, though they are rapidly growing in size, they are probably still not the calibre of club that Mbappe would consider at this stage of his career.
The new boys on the block?
If Tottenham is a no-go, it is hard to see Newcastle being much more attractive despite their recent takeover and feel-good factor at present. But, the wealthiest club in world football could certainly put down a significant marker should they want to show everyone that they mean business, and few would be able to match their financial muscle should they wish to get involved.
Plus, who doesn’t want to see Mbappe playing with Jonjo Shelvey at St James’ Park?
What about across Europe?
So, what about outside of England?
Options in France seem scarce, with Monaco the only side with a record signing over £30m aside from PSG (Which is just over 10%) of what PSG would demand.
Juventus are no stranger to spending big when it makes business sense, bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to the club in a £100m deal in 2019. But Serie A are not blessed with cash at present, with their net spend last summer just £4m. That could change with rumoured takeovers at both Milan clubs, but at present it seems like a stretch without the lucrative TV options that the Premier League can offer.
The same can be said for the Bundesliga- Bayern Munich shelled out nearly 75m euros for Matthijs De Ligt, showing that when it comes to big deals they can still pull their weight. However, Mbappe’s contract and transfer fee would in all likelihood price them out of a deal even if they wanted to enter the fray, with the Frenchman on a rumoured contract in excess of £800,000 per week, almost four times the highest-paid player in the Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, the likes of RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund tend to opt for ‘talents’ rather than finished articles, and signing a player like Mbappe in his prime would be breaking just about every transfer policy that they have followed to date.
This leaves Spain. Real Madrid are a no-go, according to reports, though they would seemingly be the perfect destination. And, while you can never discount Barcelona finding a way to free up yet more money, in their current state it seems unlikely that they will be willing to facilitate both the transfer fee and wages for the Frenchman.
There are other options of course. Cristiano Ronaldo rejected a move to Saudi Arabia over the summer, and it is likely that they would be keen on adding Mbappe as they look to grow football in the Middle East. It seems highly unlikely to appeal to the Frenchman, however, at least at this stage in his career.
