His arrival in the mixed zone on Wednesday evening after PSG’s victory in the Champions Trophy relaunched a series which has now lasted since… since… we no longer know when, we stopped counting. Kylian Mbappé, at the end of his contract next June, has been free to commit wherever he wishes since January 1. A situation for which all parties have had time to prepare, but to date, the person concerned assures him, he has “not taken [sa] decision “.
A little sentence which only fuels speculation but we won’t blame the guy because he always hesitates. At 25, he is faced with the decision that will shape the entire second part of his career. If he stays, it is highly doubtful that the Real train will pass one last time; if he moves, it will necessarily be to stay in the long term and win all the titles he is missing in one of the best clubs in the world.
The outcome could, however, arrive quite quickly, assures The Team this Friday. Unlike 2022, where in the same situation Mbappé had stretched the suspense until May, all parties would like to be settled quickly. Real Madrid, still PSG’s number 1 competitor in this story, would have made essentially the same proposal as two years ago, although with a deadline set in mid-January.
An ultimatum ? That’s not how he’s perceived in the player’s clan, apparently, since he too intends to make up his mind quickly anyway. Waiting drains everyone’s energy, if not the air, and The Team shows a desire not to paralyze the life of the club. “The idea is therefore to get rid of this burning issue as soon as possible, ideally before the round of 16 of the Champions League against Real Sociedad [match aller le 14 février] in order to approach future deadlines in a less burdensome climate,” writes the daily, in reference to the C1, but also to the Euro and the Olympics.
Bonuses or depression for PSG?
In the meantime, everyone agrees on a return to a certain normality in relations between number 7 and Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, after the tensions of the summer. Mbappé himself spoke of “an agreement with the president” on Wednesday. There is talk of an abandonment of certain loyalty bonuses after its refusal to extend in June, to the tune of 60 to 70 million euros according to AFP, 80 to 100 million according to The Parisian. Bonuses that he could however receive, at least in part, if he finally decided to sign a new contract in favor of PSG.
We would therefore only have to wait a few weeks at most to get the end of the story. Alleluia.