Kylian Mbappé and PSG have a relationship that mirrors a soap opera at times. After all, the superstar appears to go back and forth with being content in the French capital. Then, there are suggestions that he will eventually depart for Real Madrid.
This saga looked almost certain to be put to bed last summer. Mbappé was running his contract down and all indications pointed to a move to Madrid. Nevertheless, the Frenchman shocked many around the sport by signing a contract extension with PSG in May.
Frenchman takes massive money to stay in Paris
Details of the contract began trickling in after the move was made official. Despite holding up a jersey with 2025 during a press conference, Mbappé’s deal with the Parisians runs until the summer of 2024. There is an option for an additional year, but that is solely up to the player. Along with a massive base salary at PSG, Forbes has claimed that Mbappé also received a $125 million signing bonus to remain in France as well.
While he did stay with PSG, not all issues were resolved with the contract extension. Mbappé moaned about the direction of the club only weeks after signing the new deal. The France international also wanted certain players brought into the club. His targets were Robert Lewandowski, Milan Skriniar, and Aurelien Tchouameni. None of these players eventually joined PSG in the summer.
Mbappé rejected Liverpool move in the summer
Because of these issues, The Athletic is reporting that PSG were set to allow Mbappé to leave just two months after signing a new contract. However, Real Madrid was out of the question. Team president Nasser Al-Khelaifi only offered Liverpool the chance to sign Mbappé. The fee was reported to be in the $430 million range. Mbappé rejected this opportunity though.
It certainly seems as if the Frenchman would only depart Paris for Madrid. Rumors are continuing to swirl about Mbappé’s future. Some suggested that the player wants to leave during the January transfer window, but that looks extremely unlikely.
Although Real president Florentino Perez was furious with Mbappé over his decision to stay in Paris, the door is still open on a potential switch in the future. Nevertheless, Mbappé may have to wait until the summer of 2024 to finally play for Madrid.
PHOTO: IMAGO / ANP
