Kylian Mbappé Told PSG He Intends to Leave When Contract Expires Next Season,The summer transfer window in European soccer just potentially got extremely interesting.
According to multiple reports, Kylian Mbappé has informed Paris Saint-Germain he won’t be extending his contract through the 2024-25 season, meaning he could leave on a free transfer next summer.
In other words, if PSG don’t want to lose Mbappé without first securing a transfer fee, they’ll need to sell him this summer.
PSG’s other option, of course, is to convince Mbappé to say and to sign him to a lucrative contract extension. It’s possible that Monday’s news is a strategy from the star forward to secure such a deal.
But if PSG can’t convince him to recommit to the project on a long-term basis, the only logical option is to sell before the summer transfer window concludes. Otherwise, Mbappé could enter into a pre-contract agreement with a new club during the winter transfer period and depart on a free transfer next summer.
That, in turn, would mean PSG lost out on the chance to secure what would likely be the highest transfer fee in football history.
The club was able to convince Mbappé to stick around after Real Madrid made an all-out push to land him in a transfer last summer, reportedly giving him a salary worth about €57 million ($61.3 million) with up to €100 million ($107.5 million) in bonuses.
They also reportedly offered him more say in the direction of the club, including the manager, roster decisions, etc.
One year in, however, Mbappé appears to have soured on the arrangement. And PSG reportedly didn’t see it coming.
According to Tariq Panja of the New York Times, “PSG’s top officials were taken by surprise by Mbappe’s letter [informing PSG of his decision to not extend his contract by another season]… and learned of it after first being contacted by a French news outlet claiming to have received a copy before it was sent to the club.”
If Mbappé’s time in Paris is indeed coming to a close, Real Madrid—Mbappé’s favorite club as a child—will be the heavy favorites to secure his services after coming close to landing him a year ago.
Which means another fascinating transfer window is upon us.
