The Kylian Mbappe transfer saga is slowly coming to a wrap, with the Frenchman informing PSG that he would depart when his contract expires this summer. Real Madrid has been touted as his destination, marking the beginning of a new chapter for PSG.
Last June, Mbappe and PSG were at war as the 2018 World Cup winner revealed that he would not be extending his contract. It looked unlikely that he would feature for PSG in the 2023-24 season. But soon, the PSG hierarchy came to an agreement with Mbappe, who decided to represent them for the season.
But now, he has informed the club that he will leave at the end of this season, with Madrid expected to give him a massive contract.
For Mbappe, it wasn’t an easy decision to make as he was born in Paris. Since joining PSG in 2017, he has broken plenty of individual club records, overtaking the likes of Pedro Miguel Pauleta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani as the club’s top-scorer in history with 244 goals (as of February 21), and that too he is only 25-years-old.
For PSG, it will be a huge loss after signing him on loan initially, with a mandatory purchase option of 180 million Euros in 2017. His departure will also mark an end to their first Galactico plan, which has seen stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Mbappe come and go, but fail to win the much-coveted Champions League title.
Since Nasser Al-Khelaifi took over in 2012, the club has roped in superstars every season. But the plan hasn’t really worked out and it saw countless knockout stage exits, and also a defeat in the 2020 final.
It was well-known by the PSG hierarchy that Mbappe would leave one day, due to the lack of Champions League glory. The club were already planning last summer and made some key young signings. They roped in Randal Kolo Muani (24), Goncalo Ramos (22), Bradley Barcola (20), Lee Kang-in (22) and Manuel Ugarte (22). Meanwhile, they also added experience with the arrivals of Ousmane Dembele (26) and Lucas Hernandez (27). Their transfer activity saw them spend close to 400 million Euros, and now they also have Luis Enrique at the helm as manager.
The club are also expected to utilise their homegrown players to a huge extent next season. They have 17-year-old Warren Zaire-Emery, who has been sensational this season. Meanwhile, Ethan Mbappe, Ishamel Gharbi and Sennu Mayulu are expected to be given more minutes. The spotlight will also be on Xavi Simons, who is on loan at RB Leipzig and is in hot form. He will be key for PSG when he returns.
