Despite a flurry of rumors, Kylian Mbappe is likely to remain at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) until next summer.
“French football pundit Jonathan Johnson believes that Mbappe will not join Real Madrid until next summer,” according to Football España, which reported on Sunday that the Frenchman will still be playing for PSG in the 2023/24 season.
After six years with PSG since 2017, Mbappe recently crossed an irreversible river with the club. With one year left on his contract, Mbappe informed PSG last month that he would not be exercising his option to extend it for another year.
PSG, who were preparing to rebuild around Mbappe, were caught off guard and angered by his attitude. President Nasser Al-Khelaifi changed his stance to sell Mbappe, who had no intention of re-signing. Next summer, when his contract expires, Mbappe will have to be let go for free. The plan is to sell him outright this summer when they can get a transfer fee.
Mbappe, on the other hand, is relaxed. Mbappe doesn’t think he needs to leave this summer. He’s still under contract until next summer and hasn’t changed his mind about leaving for Real Madrid.
The tug-of-war has been going on for nearly a month, and Al Khelaifi issued an ultimatum when he announced the appointment of Luis Enrique on May 5: “Mbappe will have to make a decision this week, in two weeks at most.”
However, France’s L’Equipe reported that Mbappe ignored Al-Khelaifi’s ultimatum, stating that “Mbappe will be at PSG next season, despite Al-Khelaifi’s public declaration.” 메이저도메인
As the conflict continues, Jonathan Johnson, a recognized expert on French soccer, has also driven a wedge into the possibility of Mbappe staying.
According to Football España, Johnson said, “I can understand PSG not wanting to let Mbappe go without a transfer fee. Nobody wants to lose a player of Mbappe’s caliber for free,” Johnson said, adding, “But just 12 months ago PSG were desperate to keep Mbappe away from Real’s interest.”
“I still stand by what I said before. Mbappe will play for PSG until next season and will leave after the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
He also emphasized that Real have already invested a large transfer fee in the signing of Judd Bellingham. Real previously paid €130 million ($142.5 billion) to bring Bellingham from Dortmund.
“If Real were planning to sign Mbappe, they wouldn’t have spent so much money on Bellingham,” Johnson said. “From Real’s point of view, they would have preferred to sign Mbappe this winter and get him on a free next summer, which is why Mbappe is likely to play for PSG until next season.”
If Johnson is right and Mbappe stays until next season, we could see him link up with Lee, who is also on the verge of a move to PSG. Fans are looking forward to seeing Mbappe finish off Lee’s kill passes.