There’s already been a bit of friction between Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain this summer, however, a decision that the French champions made late on Friday night has really put the cat amongst the pigeons.
The French striker was known to not want to extend his current contract beyond it’s end in 2024, which appeared to be at odds with PSG’s belief that Mbappe would activate an extension rather than leave for free.
The situation seems to have been quite tense from that point, and now the Ligue Un giants have made a definitive move to force the issue.
According to Fabrizio Romano, writing in his exclusive CaughtOffside Substack, Mbappe has been put up for sale.
‘Kylian Mbappe hasn’t travelled with the PSG squad to Japan. No injury, no other things, the decision is official and has been made by Paris Saint-Germain so it’s not a mutual decision. Starting from today PSG have decided that Kylian Mbappé is no longer in the first-team squad and is available on the market,’ Romano wrote.
‘[…] Paris Saint-Germain believe Mbappé already has an agreement with Real Madrid to join them on a free transfer in the summer of 24. The reality is that PSG, knowing that, prefer to negotiate right now with no veto to any club. PSG are formally saying to all the clubs if they want Kylian Mbappé now, this summer, in these days, in these weeks, they can come with a bid. PSG are open to selling Mbappé immediately.’
What happens next is anybody’s guess.
With the knowledge that all bids are welcome, European football’s top teams could be jostling for position over the next week or two.
Knowing what price PSG are willing to let the player go for will be crucial to determine who remains interested in bringing one of the world’s best players to their club – this summer.
Of course, any move would need the express agreement of Mbappe himself, and that’s hardly likely to happen if, as is believed, the player already has a verbal agreement to join Los Blancos.
It’s entirely possible that this saga will continue making the headlines for some while yet.