Kylian Mbappé plays opt-out card to signal intent to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé stunned Paris Saint-Germain on Monday when reports surfaced that he would not re-sign with the club. The French star’s current contract with PSG is set to expire in the summer of 2024. PSG officials do not want to allow Mbappé to leave for free next summer, which means that the superstar will most likely be sold in the coming months.

The Ligue 1 champions losing Mbappé would be a devastating blow for the club. After all, he is widely regarded as one of the best players on the planet. The Frenchman netted an incredible 41 goals in 43 total matches during the 2022/23 season. However, it would be particularly overwhelming considering that PSG has already lost Lionel Messi this month as well. Losing both superstars would be a massive blow to the team.

Mbappé claims club has known he wouldn’t re-sign

Despite PSG’s claims that they were shocked by Mbappé’s intentions, the player himself has claimed that the club has known that he would not re-sign. “I have NEVER discussed any contract renewal with PSG,” Mbappé told AFP on Tuesday. “The board has been informed since July 15th, 2022 of my decision not to extend beyond 2024 — and the letter sent was only meant to confirm what I already told them.”

Should Mbappé be sold this summer, the most obvious potential landing place would be Real Madrid. The Spanish giants previously submitted a bid for the player of around $172 million in 2021. PSG rejected the offer and Mbappé shockingly opted to remain in Paris for the time being.

Most clubs will typically lower their asking price for players that are about to enter their final year under contract. Nevertheless, this most likely will not be the case here with Mbappé and PSG. The French side is still expecting to ask for an astronomical fee to sell Mbappé. They previously paid Monaco around $200 million for the player in 2018 and will want to recoup most of this money. ESPN has claimed that PSG may only go as low as $150 million to sell the star.

Benzema’s departure from Real Madrid leaves room for Mbappé

Real’s interest in Mbappé is certainly still there. And there is mutual respect from the player’s side as well. However, it remains to be seen if the LaLiga club will submit a massive bid to sign the star this summer. Real already dropped over $100 million to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in recent weeks.

They will need to replace outgoing star striker Karim Benzema though. Harry Kane and Lautaro Martinez have both been linked with Real in recent months and the duo would be significantly cheaper than Mbappé. Nevertheless, Real President Florentino Perez may have to get creative to find a way to finally land their ideal target this summer.

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