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.
It all began with a snapshot from the past. An image of a young Kylian Mbappe leaning against the wall while sitting on his childhood bed is surrounded by a collage of Cristiano Ronaldo posters.
There isn’t a single blank square in his room; everything is covered in a Real Madrid legend.
That picture originally surfaced in 2017, when the then-Monaco forward was looking for a new team. At the age of 18, he was already considered one of the top attackers in the world.
He made PSG his current choice, delaying his early ambitions. But he was always expected to play for Real Madrid at some point.
It is currently applicable once more after six years. Mbappe told PSG on Monday June, 12 that he would not be extending his deal, which is up at the end of the upcoming campaign.
Less than a year prior, he turned down offers from Madrid and pledged at least another two years of his career to Paris.
Avoiding Risks
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 Kylian 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.
And now might just be the time to cash in. 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.
Is 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.
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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.
CriticismÂ
There were further incidents, too. Kylian 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.
How Can Madrid Afford Kylian?
This 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.
Kylian Is Highest-Paid Player
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.
Here too, a precedent exists. Mesut Ozil, a top-tier attacking midfielder at the time, was sold in 2013 to provide money for the acquisition of Gareth Bale, who was by no means a direct replacement for the departing German.
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The ideas of loyalty and indispensableness weren’t very relevant back then, and it’s unlikely that they’ve suddenly become prevalent.
This is a brutal club that consistently manages to find a solution.
The era of Galactico is over. But Madrid still has a soft spot for a marquee acquisition.
They’ll locate the proper amount and get rid of the necessary people if they want this to succeed.
