Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain that he won't renew his contract, leaving the club with little choice but to sell him this summer.
This all started with a picture from the past. A young Kylian Mbappe sits on his childhood bed, leaning on the wall, while a collage of Cristiano Ronaldo posters surround him. There isn't an inch of white space, just a Real Madrid legend plastered all over his room.
That image first came to light in 2017, when the then-Monaco forward was in search of a new club — already pipped as one of the best strikers in the world at 18. At the time he chose PSG, putting his childhood dreams on hold. But there was always a sense that he would someday be a Madrid player.
Six years later, it has become relevant again. Mbappe informed PSG yesterday that he would not be renewing his contract, which expires at the end of next season. This comes less than 12 months after he spurned Madrid interest, and committed at least another two years of his future to Paris.
The Parisians are now in a classic football predicament; they can either sell Mbappe now or risk losing him for free in a year. And Los Blancos still lurk.
PSG have adamantly declared that Mbappe will not leave the club for free under any circumstances. They insist that he will either change his mind and pen a new long-term contract, or leave for a handsome fee this summer. Mbappe, meanwhile, has insisted that he is not trying to force a move, and that he wants to play at Parc des Princes next year. But his good will — if not shrewd negotiating tactic — does little to chance PSG's stance. If the Parisians are true to their word, Mbappe will likely be out of Paris by the end of August.
Now might just be the time for PSG to cash in, anyway. Mbappe is among the best players in the world, and a Paris native. But he's also always had one eye on the Spanish capital. And at this point, when in need of striker, Madrid are almost certain to pay up.
So, PSG have been gifted the chance for Mbappe to leave on the most favourable terms possible, and they should take it. This is no longer about the idealism of a local kid, or the Ligue 1 title he would inevitably deliver next season. Instead, the Parisians face a financial decision, one intrinsically tied to the success of their side for years to come. Mbappe must be sold.
GettyA Paris sweetheart
Selling Mbappe is not an immediate net benefit to PSG. There are, shockingly, football matches to win. And having arguably the best player in the world playing for your team tends to bring about some degree of success over the course of a season. Mbappe would be crucial in next year's Ligue 1 campaign, and by default makes them slightly more competitive in the Champions League (although he can do nothing about the obligatory yearly collapse.)
He is an immensely talented footballer who will only continue to improve. That he is a Parisian who once resisted the allure of one of Europe's biggest clubs to stick around makes him a marketing gem, too. He is, in effect, the only player who still has the adulation of PSG's notoriously critical ultras. PSG are unfortunate that Mbappe has such a deep desire to go to Madrid — otherwise, this seems like the kind of footballing marriage that could last forever.
Still, romance aside, from a club perspective, Mbappe's benefit is dwindling. The star player has started to become a distraction.
It started last summer, when he made massive financial demands to PSG, which were swiftly granted. He wanted more money, power and autonomy than everyone else at the club. And the Parisians agreed to every last detail — before celebrating it like they'd signed him as a bargain.
But they can't necessarily be blamed for that. If this were anyone else, PSG would have denied the demands, and perhaps been more willing to get rid of the disgruntled player. So, with Mbappe, those celebrations — ones that were raucous despite the absurd €70 million ($75m/£60m) loyalty bonus they reportedly agreed to pay the Frenchman for every year he stayed at the club — could perhaps be forgiven. Football is often rather heartless, but it would have been one for the idealists to see Mbappe stay with his hometown club.
AdvertisementGettyIs he worth it anymore?
Still, Mbappe has always understood the power he has. He negotiated so harshly with PSG last summer because he knew that they would pay up. A deal that would send him to Madrid seemed close at the time, but there was always a prevailing sense that PSG would get the last chance to change his mind — if only to retain their hometown sweetheart.
And, just as he expected, the Parisians paid up. But he didn't hold his nerve for long. Mbappe reportedly regretted his decision to stay immediately and was swiftly on the phone with an indignant Florentino Perez asking Madrid to sign him.
In October, that desire came to light. Shortly before a key Champions League clash, it was revealed that Mbappe wanted to leave — something that blew up in the media before being swiftly taken back. A few months later, he took jabs at Neymar in the press about his late-night fast food habits. Shortly after that, he feuded with the club via social media about a season ticket promotion video that wasn't to his liking. PSG diligently took it down.
There were further incidents, too. Mbappe was made vice-captain at the expense of Presenel Kimpembe — without Kimpembe even knowing about the decision. He criticised his teammates in the press after a loss to Bayern Munich, admitting that PSG 'aren't good enough' to win the Champions League.
This was all accepted, mostly because Mbappe's brilliance on the pitch was dragging PSG to another Ligue 1 title. Without him, they may well have been beaten to the finishing post by Lens.
And there's an argument to be made here that this is just another incident, that Mbappe will retrace his steps, and draw an even more generous contract out of the Parisians. But this time, it seems a step too far. Even if Mbappe is bluffing — and he almost certainly isn't — the vice-captain has become more trouble than he's worth.
(C)Getty ImagesCash in now
The idea of simply selling the forward isn't that simple, though. Footballers have made public their desire to leave clubs before, but not on this scale, of this quality, or at this price point. Mbappe should be one of the most expensive players in the world. In today's market, superstars of this magnitude are not sold. In a world without contract constraints, it would take an astronomical amount of money to lure him from PSG.
And now the Parisians are effectively free to name their price. They reportedly want something in the range of €200 million(£172m/$215m), according to the. That evaluation is impossible to argue with, not least because there is no precedent for how much a player like Mbappe, in the last year of his contract, should cost.
The issue is, Madrid likely won't pay that much, and PSG surely know that. At this point, then, it's a numbers game. But it won't necessarily be easy for Los Blancos. They just spent €103 million (£88m/$110m) on Jude Bellingham and were counting on Mbappe being available for free next summer. They would perhaps otherwise have the nerve and opportunity to hold out, but the fact that Karim Benzema recently left for Saudi Arabia complicates things. Suddenly, Madrid need a striker.
Still, Mbappe has done his club a favour. He noted last year that he did not want to leave PSG on a free — and would rather them generate funds from his sale. And by telling the club that he wants out before the transfer window has properly opened, Mbappe has made good on that promise. PSG have something of a negotiating position.
Madrid, then, could perhaps drive the asking price down. But they won't have the advantage of the hasty negotiations of a last-minute deal. Instead, they will have to meet PSG somewhere. Even though he wants out, Mbappe will not come cheap.
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Getty ImagesHow can Madrid afford him?
And that could be a big disadvantage for Los Blancos. Perez promised fans last week that Mbappe would be a Madrisista, but not until 2024. This whole thing, then, accelerates the timeline that was supposed to be adequately paced. In a sense, it's been altered since Benzema announced his exit. Madrid were going to need to sign a striker in some form this summer. It was largely assumed, for some time, that Harry Kane would be that man. The Englishman would not have come cheap — Spurs are notoriously stingy negotiators.
So, Madrid have adjusted accordingly, benefitting from a series of squad moves in the past few weeks. Eden Hazard mutually agreed to part ways with the club, and left millions on the table in doing so. Benzema was amongst the highest earners in Madrid and also left. Meanwhile, Marco Asensio is gone — ironically to PSG — which should clear up some space, too. Bellingham's €10m (£8.6/$11m) salary isn't friendly, but it could have been far worse.
Still, Mbappe is the highest-paid player in Europe, and turned down an eye-watering €232m (£200m/$250m) over three years from Madrid last summer. He will inevitably have to take a pay cut when he leaves PSG. But that doesn't mean it'll be a massive one, or that he will simply accept far poorer terms. This is still an immensely expensive endeavor, both in terms of the money going to PSG and the wages owed to the player himself.
And there's reason to believe this could alter the way Madrid look, too. Los Blancos have created some room, but might need to make a sale or two. It helps that they have some high-value assets in midfield, notably Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde. Neither player is a guaranteed starter next year, and both could fetch fees north of €70m. Madrid won't like the idea of selling either midfielder — both are immensely talented — but if it comes to it, they might have to lose a big-name player in order to bring in a world-class megastar.
There's precedent here, too. In 2013, Mesut Ozil, then a top-tier attacking midfielder, was sold to help fund the signature of Gareth Bale — a player who was by no means a direct replacement for the outgoing German. Concepts of loyalty and indispensability didn't really apply then, and it's doubtful that they have suddenly been adopted.
This is a ruthless club that always tends to find a way. The Galactico days of old are gone. But Madrid haven't lost their penchant for a big signing. If they want this to work, they will find the right number, and get rid of whoever they need to.