Kylian Mbappé and departure rumours, a combination that never disappoints. By confirming to his management that he did not intend to exercise his option for a one-year extension of his contract, the PSG striker re-re-ignited his club. And it’s not his tweet assuring that he was going to “continue next season at PSG” that will be enough to turn him off.
Because the Parisian club finds itself back to the wall and will have to decide on the strategy to adopt: either convince the player to finally activate the extension clause before the deadline of July 31, or try to sell him this summer to recover a big transfer fee. Unless it is he who is at the origin of the leaks to force the suitors to move and recover their costs? Either way, all eyes are on Real Madrid, who have always seemed in pole position should Kyk’s ever leave Ligue 1. This time again? Maybe not so obvious.
Because it is still very expensive?
Even a year from the end of his contract, Mbappé is one of the most expensive players in the world. According to the specialized site Transfermarkt, a good indicator of the transfer market, the Parisian striker would currently cost 180 million euros. It is a little less for the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES), which in a publication at the beginning of June valued the Frenchman at 163 million euros.
How do we arrive at this number? CIES has implemented its own algorithm, which takes into account the amounts of some 5,000 transfers since 2012, the characteristics of the players in relation to these amounts, then the data of the player concerned (age, duration of the contract, etc.). In short, something really solid. “163 million when he only has one year left on his contract, we are at the very, very top of the basket, observes Roger Besson, who manages this data for the CIES. He is at his peak in terms of age and playing performance. From 25-26 years old, in general it starts to decrease. »
All that to say that the investment to be made will be colossal for Real, which has already just spent a little over 100 million euros for English midfielder Jude Bellingham. On the other hand, he has given himself some financial leeway – an estimated 75 million per year – with the departures of Benzema, Hazard, Asensio and Mariano, and has not made an XXL purchase for several seasons. . “Real Madrid want to sign him and have the financial means to do so, assures our colleague fromEl País Diego Torres, one of the best-informed journalists on the Madrid club. Florentino Perez has repeated internally recently that he is a priority. »
Because PSG will do everything to annoy him?
It’s a little music that we hear since the aborted Super League project, in April 2021. The president of PSG Nasser Al-Khelaifi had greatly participated in the burial of this idea launched by Real, Barça and the Juve, after taking part in the first discussions. His Madrid counterpart Florentino Perez would never have forgiven him for this betrayal, especially given the express promotion of the Qatari leader to head the European Club Association (ECA) shortly afterwards. Relations between the two men have since been icy, the Spaniard having taken it very badly that Nasser did not even deign to respond to his offer of 180 million made at the end of the summer of 2021.
In Spain in any case, there is widespread echo of this acrimony between the two clubs. In the show “El Larguero” on the Cadena Ser, for example, it was claimed on Monday that PSG would “in no way” sell their jewel to Real. Bullshit, according to an experienced French agent. “That’s bullshit. And all the same, when there are major interests in common, especially economic ones, we don’t bother with these problems. If PSG wants to sell and they are offered the amount they want, they won’t say no to Real because it’s Real. »
The attitude of each other will also depend on the goodwill of the English clubs. If Manchester United or Chelsea (at random…) decide to enter the dance, it will upset the landscape, whether Mbappé is considering these destinations or not. The crazier we are…
Because he can (still) change his mind tomorrow?
Kyk’s has a knack for doing the opposite of what everyone else thinks he will do. You still have to remember that the rating for an extension in Paris last summer when he was free to go absolutely where he wanted was close to nothing. Refusing the advances of a club that we have dreamed of since childhood and which rolls out the red carpet to welcome you is not trivial.
Likewise, if he has every intention of leaving this time, nothing says that Real remains his priority destination. “It is not known there if the club is still in the best position,” reports Diego Torres, who published a paper Tuesday on the possibility of seeing the player go to Manchester United if Qatar succeeds in buying the English club.
Tuesday afternoon, the person concerned also promised, swore, spat that the information of Parisian that he wanted to go to Madrid this summer were “LIES”. Without knowing with certainty whether he was talking about the fact of leaving or the destination. If the problem is timing, would Real be ready to wait another year for him when he will have to hit hard and fast to replace Benzema? Get ready, we are off again for a few weeks of great bluffing which, for the moment, have never led to the expected outcome.