Paris Saint-Germain more or less gave its biggest star an ultimatum.
Almost a month after Kylian Mbappé told PSG that he wouldn’t renew his contract after this upcoming season, the president of the club, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, told reporters Wednesday that he would consider moving on from Mbappé sooner rather than later.
Mbappé, 24, has a year left on his deal, but he also has a player option to extend his contract until 2025. Even though Mbappé could play for PSG in 2023, Al-Khelaïfi effectively affirmed that the club would rather transfer him to another team now and rake in whatever enormous fee Mbappé would require than let him walk away for nothing at the end of next season.
“In football standards, you never see your best player leave the club for free,” Al-Khelaïfi added. “It never happens.”
Al-Khelaïfi’s assertion about Mbappé’s standing in the world can’t be disputed, either. He scored 40 goals for PSG this past season, a total that trailed only Erling Haaland‘s incredible 52 goals with Manchester City among all players across the sport. Mbappé and PSG also won the Ligue 1 title for the second consecutive season and the fifth time during his time with the club.
But PSG has faltered on the international stage. The club lost in the Champions League round of 16 to Bayern Munich this past season — its second consecutive year failing to advance further. PSG made it to the finals in 2020, only to fall to Bayern 1-0.
Which team could afford Mbappé? Well, Real Madrid seems to be the most likely suitor, given the club’s history of courting the French star. But any top club would likely want a piece of Mbappé and his wizardry with the ball.
The stage is set for a dramatic end to Mbappé’s tenure with PSG. It looks and sounds like it’s a matter of when, not if.
