Fabrizio Romano has provided an exclusive update on the future of Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, with Real Madrid his preferred destination even amid strong interest from Saudi Arabia.
Writing in his CaughtOffside column, Romano explained the latest on Mbappe’s future, saying: “Kylian Mbappe’s future is now in his hands – there’s no specific deadline for a deal to be done, because it’s Kylian who decides. PSG have made very clear that Mbappe is on the market, and they want to find a solution as soon as possible.
“I’m not aware of any concrete talk with any other club. The reality is that from Saudi they want to try with a record bid, but all parties involved know very well that Real Madrid are the favourite destination of Kylian. Real Madrid are keeping it quiet but they’re still waiting for PSG to communicate clear price tag for Kylian this summer.
“Nothing will be decided on technical issues like Mbappe being in PSG’s Champions League squad yet, but the plan is that PSG don’t want to play Mbappe or other players not in their plans during the season. If Mbappe decides to stay until the end of his contract, he will stay on the bench the whole season – this is the intention as of today. They are encouraging clubs to bid and they are suggesting to him to find a solution this summer.
“There is nothing concrete with Saudi clubs at the moment, but they will try an astronomical, world-record bid for Mbappe. Still, they know, as does everyone else around the world, that in Mbappe’s mind, it’s Real Madrid.”
It would be intriguing to see if a Saudi Pro League club could really lure a world class talent like Mbappe during his peak years, but it seems there’s an awareness that he wants to move to Real Madrid next.
The France international is surely too good to be leaving Europe at this stage in his career, even if we are seeing more and more big names accepting lucrative offers from Saudi clubs.
We’ve also seen all-time footballing great Lionel Messi leaving PSG this summer to move to MLS side Inter Miami, so the pull of clubs outside Europe has arguably never been stronger than it is right now.