PSG
It’s back on. The transfer saga that has spanned countless transfer windows could finally reach a resolution this summer after Kylian Mbappe informed Paris Saint-Germain that he does not want to extend his contract with the club.
The Frenchman’s current deal allows him to leave next summer but PSG are reportedly willing to sell him now to avoid losing the 24-year-old on a free transfer. Once again the prospect of a move to Real Madrid has been raised and it looks like, this time, a transfer could suit both parties.
Despite the club’s vast wealth, UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules do not allow Qatar-backed PSG to make limitless financial losses and allowing Mbappe to leave on a free would rob them of a huge source of potential income. So when can Mbappe leave, and is he really going to do it this time?
When he moved to the French capital in the summer of 2017 PSG tied up the most exciting young talent in world football. It cost the club an astonishing €180 million to prise him AS Monaco and he quickly became a key player in Paris.
Since then his influence at the club, both on and off the pitch, has only grown despite frequent suggestions that he desires a more to Real Madrid. Last summer it looked like he was going to move to the Santiago Bernabéu on a free transfer, until he sensationally put pen to paper on a new three-year contract.
His current deal is thought to be worth more than $1.2 million per week.
But it wasn’t as permanent as PSG fans would have wished.
The three-year contract was actually two years with the option of a further year. Crucially, it is Mbappe who can decide whether or not to extend into a third year and he has until 31 July 2023 to make his decision. In the letter sent to the club on Monday, he told them that he would not be extending beyond the summer of 2024.
Real Madrid have long been admirers of Mbappe and it was thought that club president Florentino Perez had hoped to reopen the renovated Bernabéu with Mbappe at his side this summer. PSG have previously rebuffed Madrid’s attempts to strike a deal, but this time they may decide to let Mbappe leave.
Assuming that he does not change his mind and extend his PSG contract, Mbappe’s existing deal will come to an end in the summer of 2024. However he would be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with a non-French club from January 2024, meaning that PSG could effectively loose one of the most valuable players in world football on a free in less than seven months.
Crucial point on Kylian Mbappé story as mentioned before: Paris Saint-Germain do NOT consider an option to lose him as free agent in June 2024. ⚠️ #PSG
New deal — or he will be made available on the market right now. pic.twitter.com/lTwd74Y5Ln
Madrid were convinced that they would be able to sign Mbappe the last time his contract was approaching an end, in 2021. He had just a year left on his contract but Madrid offered €200 million to sign the then-22-year-old. Madrid are still thought to have considerable resources at their disposal and have reduced their wage bill considerably in recent weeks. The likes of Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio have all left the club.
Given that he will be available to sign on a free in the near future, many will be wondering why Madrid don’t simply wait for his PSG contract to expire. ‘Mbappe on a free’ may seem like a tantalising prospect, but it may not make sense for this Real Madrid team.
While it may save them the price of a substantial transfer fee, Madrid might decide that they cannot afford to go another year without Mbappe’s talents. They were already light in the forward areas but the departure of Karim Benzema has made signing a striker the club’s top priority.
The club needs to bring in a world class attacker this summer and that could complicate the squad-building effort if Mbappe joins the team a year later. In short, Perez may decide that they simply cannot afford to pass up the chance to finally bring Kylian Mbappe to Madrid.
About the author
William Gittins
A journalist, soccer fanatic and Shrewsbury Town fan, Will’s love for the game has withstood countless playoff final losses. After graduating from the University of Liverpool he wrote for a number of British publications before joining AS USA in 2020. His work focuses on the Premier League, LaLiga, MLS, Liga MX and the global game.
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