Kylian Mbappé confirms farewell to Paris Saint-Germain: Real Madrid throws his hat in the ring

Florentino Perez is a man close to the people. The President of Real Madrid also likes to bathe in the crowd of fans in his private life. Anyone who recognizes him far from the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in restaurants or just on the street will get his selfie.

“Will you sign Mbappé, Florentino?” “Yes, but not this year.” A question and an answer with great impact. The fact that Perez wants to bring Kylian Mbappé to Madrid is nothing new, he has already tried it twice. Mbappé would have liked to come in 2021, but was not allowed to. In 2022 everyone agreed, but then Mbappé suddenly turned around and snubbed Perez with his declaration of love for PSG. Will all good things come in threes in 2023? Or, as announced by Perez, not until 2024?

On Monday, “L’Equipe” dropped the bomb. The French sports newspaper reported on an ominous letter from Mbappé, in which the striker is said to have informed his employer that he would not exercise his unilateral option to extend his contract until 2025 and would consequently leave the club in 2024 on a free transfer.

Mbappé wants to leave PSG: “A kind of declaration of war”

Even if the club apparently knew for a long time, the PSG bosses are said to have been anything but enthusiastic that the public got wind of it. “PSG is seething with anger,” wrote “Le Parisien”. The well-known podcast “After Foot” from “RMC” said that the club would even see Mbappé’s letter as “a kind of declaration of war”.

Although Mbappé made it clear again on Tuesday that he would play in Paris next season, the French media see the option of letting the superstar go in 2024 without a fee as ruled out.

Cyril Morin from Eurosport France sees it differently. “It’s a poker game. Mbappé wants to leave because PSG’s project is not going as fast as he would like. But I can’t imagine that PSG will sell Mbappé now. That would be the end of the project – a ‘ground zero’. The QSI investor group will probably not allow that.”

According to Morin, a sale to Real Madrid is out of the question: “PSG have never given a player to potential competitors for the title in the Champions League.”

Premier League not an option for Mbappé

But the club gets into trouble. Do you want to keep a player for another year who has almost already finished with the club? Or earn between 150 and 190 million euros and lose the next superstar after Lionel Messi within a few weeks? Keyword ‘ground zero’.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reported on Tuesday that Mbappé would love to leave PSG this summer. Mbappé’s reaction was again not long in coming. “LIES…” he tweeted in capital letters, reaffirming his allegiance to PSG. “I will continue here next season where I am very happy.”

He says this, he claims that – there is pure chaos in the Mbappé case. Who can benefit from this in the end? And anyway: Which club can and wants to raise at least 150 million euros for a player who is available for free twelve months later? Even for a superstar like Mbappé, it doesn’t exactly make economic sense.

The financially strong Premier League is in this case – exceptionally – out. “It’s almost impossible for Mbappé to get into the Premier League,” says Ben Snowball from Eurosport UK. “Liverpool couldn’t afford Jude Bellingham, and it would be difficult to get Mbappé to play in the Europa League. Manchester United will have a lot of money coming up soon enough to be able to afford Mbappé. But that’s not going to happen.”

Real Madrid can afford the 150 to 200 million

Which brings us back to Real Madrid and Florentino Perez. For Mbappé, the royal club is a logical destination. He wants titles and wants to make history as the best striker in the world. “Kylian is now 25 but still hasn’t won the Champions League. That’s another reason why he wants to leave PSG,” says Cyril Morin.

Adrian Garcia from Eurosport Spain makes it clear that “Real really want Mbappé. They know that they have to invest in the storm after Karim Benzema’s departure. Real can afford the 150 to 200 million euros, two years ago 180 million were on the table for Mbappé. “

President Perez has always been obsessed with bringing the best players in the world to Real Madrid. “It stinks Florentino that Haaland plays at Manchester City and Mbappé at PSG. He doesn’t want to let that sit on him,” wrote the newspaper “AS”.

Perez could be the big winner

Perez made his announcement that he would not bring Mbappé to Madrid until 2024 before Mbappé’s letter was published. Several Spanish media reported on Tuesday that Perez no longer wanted to lose any time in the fight for the striker. According to “Marca”, the club has refrained from signing Tottenham’s Harry Kane.

Mbappé Perez has already slipped through the cracks twice, and the cancellation last year seriously offended the real boss. But just the prospect of getting the superstar from Real’s new arch-enemy PSG really pleases Perez. “He lost twice. But in the end Florentino could be the big winner,” wrote “Marca”.

Kylian Mbappé/Paris Saint-Germain/Real Madrid – it smells like a very hot transfer number this summer.