What next for Kylian Mbappe with his PSG future up in the air?
What next for Kylian Mbappe? Ignite an Erling Haaland rivalry by joining Man United, reunite with Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea… or could Saudi Arabia be his ticket to Real Madrid?
- Reports have linked Mbappe to the likes of Man United, Chelsea and Spurs
- Barcelona and Inter Milan are also thought to be pursuing the French skipper
- Mbappe has been offered £68k PER HOUR by Al-Hilal following £259m offer
After negotiating regime changes and completing no less than six transfer deals this summer, Paris Saint-Germain might have been forgiven for thinking they could put their feet up and relax for the rest of the summer.
But Kylian Mbappe put paid to those plans by announcing in dramatic fashion that he would not be extending his stay at the French club beyond 2024, as he has grown dissatisfied with the direction they are taking. Unsurprisingly, PSG were less than pleased with his announcement, and have now put him up for sale just a year after handing him the keys to the kingdom.
Naturally, the 24-year-old – inarguably among the top two or three players in the world – has not been short of offers for his services, with reports claiming Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Inter Milan and Barcelona are all interested in a move.
Mbappe has spared no bones in declaring that he wants to see out the final year of his monumental £650,000-per-week deal, and very much have his cake and eat it too by pocketing a hefty loyalty bonus along the way, as he eyes a move to Real Madrid for free next summer.
PSG are determined to cash in this summer, and a £259million offer from Al-Hilal is hardly a bad start as they look to recover some of the near-£155m paid to Monaco for his services, but would a Saudi Pro League switch also represent Mbappe’s best chance of the move to the Bernabeu he so openly desires? Here, Mail Sport takes you through his potential destinations with his future in Paris up in the air.
Kylian Mbappe has been put up for sale by PSG after stating he would not be extending his stay
The French giants are adamant that he will be sold if he refuses to sign a contract extension
Al-Hilal
Although Sky Sports have reported that Al-Hilal’s offer is not the only one PSG have received, at £259m it is one that is quite difficult to ignore. With the French champions indifferent to where the player ends up, it would naturally be their favoured move.
Needless to say, Mbappe wouldn’t do too badly out of the move either, with a reported £600m on offer for just one year of his services. To put that into context, he would earn enough in one week to pay for Alexis Mac Allister’s recent £35m move to Liverpool.
But for argument’s sake, let’s set the money to one side. On paper, Mbappe would likely walk through teams without getting out of first gear, and he would doubtless win trophies, testing himself in a new environment and scoring buckets of goals, with the opportunity to join Real Madrid at the end of his one year. It is believed Saudi would be prepared to let him depart for the Bernabeu next summer.
The extreme heat would also ensure that his fitness wouldn’t take much of a hit, and he would still be playing alongside – and against – some big names.
Al-Hilal have already recruited Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly – three names that have long been linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world. Then across the division there’s Ballon d’Or incumbent Karim Benzema and World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, AFCON winner Edouard Mendy, and Champions League winner Roberto Firmino to name a few plying their trade at rival teams. Oh, and the small matter of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr.
So a big pay slip every waiting every month, talented opponents, hot weather and the chance to get your dream move at the end of one season – what’s the catch? Well, it’s quite a big one. Mbappe remains unwilling to make the move to Saudi at this stage in his career.
There is very little chance that Mbappe will be regarded as one of the best players in the world should he move to Al-Hilal, regardless of whether he scores three goals per game. Even though it would only be for a year, that will still surely be a crushing blow to one of the only two men to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final – he is already plagued by those criticising his achievements due to the slightly less competitive nature of the French league – a move to Saudi would hardly make those go away.
A season out of the Champions League and a top five European league is just not an option for the 24-year-old, and the hit to his credibility could haunt him for the rest of a career that promises to take him right to the top of the game.
Jorge Jesus’ Al-Hilal are said to be readying an offer for Mbappe of around £600m for one year
In Saudi Arabia, Mbappe would be able to play alongside and against some of the game’s biggest names, including Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema
Barcelona
One of the more intriguing clubs to be linked with the prolific French speedster is Barcelona, although they surely represent an unlikely destination for Mbappe.
For one, there is almost no way the club can finance a move for a player that is on one of football’s most eye-watering deals – and that’s not even taking into account the fee they would have to stump up to meet PSG’s valuation. Barcelona are in a high-profile financial pickle that has plagued them for the last few transfer windows, and as such are unlikely to be able to afford Mbappe.
They had attempted to lure Barca legend Lionel Messi back to the club this summer, but their proposal was ultimately rejected by Javier Tebas and LaLiga, and there doesn’t appear to be enough financial levers for them to trigger to cover the cost of Mbappe.
What’s more, the prospect of joining Real Madrid after a stint at their archest of arch rivals appears slim. It has been done before, of course, but the pig’s head that was thrown at Luis Figo when he took a corner for Real Madrid on his Nou Camp return goes to show there is a certain hostility between the two fanbases, to say the least.
That being said, if Mbappe was willing to write off his Madrid dream for at least a few years, and become a Barca enemy for life, then he would find a club on the up in Spain as the reigning LaLiga champions, and one that is almost certain to feature in the Champions League every year. There is also a hugely talented squad waiting, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Gavi and Ronald Araujo forming the spine.
Lewandowski’s presence at No 9 would also afford Mbappe the luxury of playing in his desired position behind the striker, with a squad full of young talent that could grow around him for a number of years. Xavi has also cemented his credentials as a manager at the elite level, and with his experience in the game, the prospect of playing under his wing is another positive in Barca’s favour.
But it remains a distinct outside possibility. The financial issues that a move for the France star would throw up should deter them from even considering an approach, while Mbappe will surely find it too difficult to part with his dream of wearing Madrid’s iconic white shirt to risk endangering it with a shock transfer.
Xavi has excelled at the helm for Barcelona, who have begun their return to the ascendancy
At Barca Mbappe would find a young team including Gavi (left) and Pedri ready to be put together around him
Barcelona are struggling with financial problems and as such are not in a position to move for the likes of Mbappe
Manchester United
Another team on the up domestically are Manchester United, who are looking to break back into the title race in England – and what better way to do it than by signing perhaps the best player in the world? It’s been a long time coming but Erik ten Hag seems to have put together the beginnings of a side capable of winning titles again.
And as much as Xavi is an attractive prospect to work under, Ten Hag has proven himself a fantastic hire by United. As a disciplinarian and task master, he would surely get the best out of Mbappe and likely be able to keep the player under hand and prevent his ego from getting the better of him, instead developing what is already a frightening player into possibly the best the game has ever seen. He dealt decisively and admirably with Ronaldo’s bitter Old Trafford exit last year – and egos don’t come much bigger than the Portuguese icon’s after all.
It’s a move that seems to be scripted; Mbappe and Man City centre-forward Erling Haaland have long been touted as the new Messi and Ronaldo duopoly that will dictate football for the next decade, and putting them on either side of the Manchester divide would be a very poetic notion. Plus, for the most part it does actually make sense, with the Premier League the most competitive in the world and home to the very best players and managers.
And it’s not like United don’t need a forward. A new No 9 has been their priority since securing Mason Mount and Andre Onana, and they have been linked heavily with Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta. However, without a recognised No 9 already at the club Mbappe would be forced into a central role that he is openly loathe to do.
He may be one of the fastest players in the world, but at 1.78m he is hardly the physical powerhouse we are used to seeing win headers and hold off defenders in the English top flight. A player like Mbappe is almost immune to struggle, but he would have to adapt his game to a role he is less suited to, and you could understand why a player of his calibre, who has made a name for himself playing a certain way, would be unwilling to do so.
Much like with Barcelona, Mbappe would find a team littered with talent with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mount et al around him. At a club like Manchester United, there would also be the draw of being a star at perhaps the biggest name in the world. But would he be the only star? It is unlikely that he would dethrone local lad Rashford at the top, which could deter him from a sensational move.
For the first time in a long while, we are talking about a United side that are struggling financially, hampered as they are by Financial Fair Play regulations. They’ve spent close to £100m this summer, meaning their arm is being twisted into selling players before they can further invest. Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay, Fred, there are options there for Ten Hag to raise the funds he needs, but whether it will be enough is another matter.
There is a lot going for Mbappe at United, and there is a strong argument that he turns them from title outsiders to genuine contenders. It will assure him to know that they have also sold to Real on a number of occasions, so that particular door would not necessarily be closed, but whether he is up for the challenge of playing as an out-and-out No 9 in the most physical competition in the world is a potential stumbling block if United do turn their interest into a concrete bid.
Erik ten Hag has made strides in his efforts to transform Man United’s prospects and would be able to offer Mbappe Champions League football
United are in dire need of a No 9 but a team with Marcus Rashford and Mbappe alongside one another in attack could be a fearsome prospect
Chelsea
Probably the only team that could rival the financial muscle of PSG and Manchester City in Europe, Chelsea are unlikely to have any issues with the transfer fee and wage packet the player demands, but they may still struggle to lure Mbappe to west London.
The Blues spent big in the last 12 months – forking out record-breaking levels of money – and have almost nothing to show for it. In fact, what they do have is a high-profile failure of a season that they will be very quick to put behind them. The fact of the matter is they do not seem as attractive a prospect as Man United right now.
With Mauricio Pochettino at the helm of one of the most talented young squads in the world, it seems unlikely there will be a repeat act this season – say it quietly, but 2023-24 could see Chelsea right back up in the top four without European football to worry about – but they are too much of a risk right now.
That being said, they have proven to be desperately bereft of goals and in urgent need of a forward, which would give the French skipper a sizeable bargaining chip if it comes to contract talks. There are also very few figures that could rival him for centre stage like Rashford would at Old Trafford, and he could be the star that shines the brightest at Stamford Bridge.
But at Chelsea he could have a similar issue adapting his game to the Premier League, and he would not even have the bonus of playing in the Champions League to make up for that.
Mbappe would however find a manager that he has worked with before in Pochettino, meaning he would know exactly what he is getting himself into, although reports on their working relationship are contrasting; some say the pair had great respect for one another, others imply that Mbappe was one of the reasons the Argentine was sacked as he prepared to pen his mouth-watering £650,000-a-week deal at the Parc des Princes last summer.
The unfortunate reality for Chelsea fans is that the timing is just one year out either way for Mbappe. A year ago he would have become the face of their turnaround, with the Champions League still to play for and a side begging for a striker in 2022-23 to fire them into the top four. A year from now, they could be back in that top bracket and poised to offer the player everything he could want and more.
Now, though, their pulling power has diminished temporarily, and only a big first season for Pochettino will see them return to the fore of the transfer market and back to a place where they can persuade the Mbappes of the world to sign on.
Mauricio Pochettino has inherited a Chelsea side that is not the most attractive prospect for potential new signings
Mbappe and Pochettino worked together at PSG, with reports contrasting on their relationship
Tottenham
For almost as long as we can remember, Tottenham have been nowhere near any conversations for the world’s best strikers, but it seems the Harry Kane era is on the wane.
The England captain has been heavily linked with an exit this summer, with Bayern Munich the most likely destination if they can meet Daniel Levy’s demands. That opens up a spot that was previously untouchable up top for Spurs.
But short of the certainty that he would become the face of the club, there is very little going for the north London outfit in terms of convincing Mbappe they are the place to be right now.
For one, there’s the state of the squad. The need to reinvest has been well-documented, with the club crying out for at least a top-tier centre back and midfielder, and that’s before the matter of Kane sparks the need of a new world-class striker.
Similarly to Chelsea, a move to Tottenham right now would be a gamble as the world waits to see what sort of impact Ange Postecoglou has on one of the biggest clubs in England, though it is highly likely they will struggle to get back into the Champions League next season.
The difference between those two London outfits is that Chelsea can afford to bring the player in, too. Spurs would need to sell Kane this summer and put all the proceeds towards the French skipper – plus a little extra – and hope that he chooses a surprise move to north London over the more appealing prospects of Man United or a short-term stint elsewhere.
Similarly, chairman Daniel Levy’s handling of the Kane situation has shown players it will be excruciatingly difficult to ever part ways with the club if seeking an exit. Mbappe can always sign a short-term deal as he did with PSG, although it seems unlikely the Spurs chief would allow that to come to pass and run the risk of losing such a commercially valuable player for a cut-price fee.
Mbappe has already said enough for some Spurs fans on the matter. Not content with simply labelling a move to Tottenham ‘impossible’, he also burst out laughing in volunteer ambassador Tom Holland’s face when he urged him to sign for his beloved team back in 2021. Football fans are not best known for letting slights against their club go in a hurry.
Harry Kane has been heavily linked with a Tottenham departure and will need to be replaced
Tom Holland (left) asked Mbappe to join his beloved Spurs back in 2021, which the Frenchman laughed off
Inter Milan
Inter have almost snuck up on the football world and asserted themselves as a major force once again. A league title in 2020-21, back-to-back domestic cup doubles and a Champions League final appearance last term – the Italian giants have become one of Europe’s great powers once again.
The only thing preventing them from joining the likes of City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the upper echelons are their finances, which just cannot compete with their rivals. As such, Inter do not present themselves as an option to rival some of the others linked with a move for the French superstar.
He would however get the opportunity to play wherever he wants in the line-up – be that out wide or behind the main striker. Lautaro Martinez has established himself as the Nerazzurri’s top No 9 around the on-going uncertainty of Romelu Lukaku’s situation, and could form a formidable partnership with Mbappe, plus there is little competition at left forward to keep him out the side.
There is also the lure of Serie A being one of the more open and competitive leagues in Europe right now, with both Milan clubs, Napoli, Juventus and Lazio all vying for the top four spots, and four different teams lifting the title in as many years.
But even with a decent run in the Champions League thrown into the mix, Mbappe moving to Inter would probably the most surprising of all the options on this list, with the division struggling to compete with the likes of the Premier League and LaLiga financially.
Perhaps he will want to test himself in Italy, mimicking his idol Ronaldo who moved to Juventus, but that seems unlikely. Ronaldo was at the twilight of his career, not the start, and for the French skipper to achieve anywhere near as much as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner he may have to follow a similar chronology.
Mbappe could line up with Lautaro Martinez at Inter, allowing the Argentine to play higher up
Simone Inzaghi’s side simply cannot compete with the financial power of England or Spain
So what other options are there?
What seems the most likely outcome is that Mbappe will stay at PSG this summer. Like it or not, he has all the power right now, and there is precious little that the French titans can do about it.
They have no real grounds to cancel his contract, and it seems unlikely that he will agree to leave for anywhere other than Madrid, which would be their only real path to getting rid of him.
Of course, should Madrid swoop in for him, he would likely jump at the chance to move to the Spanish capital. Without Benzema there is a vacant No 9 shirt waiting for him, and he would likely be willing to play out of position if it leads to his dream move to the Bernabeu.
But after fronting around £88m this summer for Jude Bellingham, Florentino Perez’s warchest is likely far too light to convince PSG to part ways with the prize jewel in their crown. That being said, it would be quite a phenomenal prospect to have Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicius Jnr, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde all playing under the same roof for the next decade.
Fronting £88m on Jude Bellingham has reduced the likelihood of Real moving for Mbappe
Carlo Ancelotti’s side may feel they cannot wait an extra year and could be drawn into the race
However, there will be some at Los Blancos that may feel a failure to move for Mbappe this summer – a player they have tried to land on a number of occasions – could put a pin in their long-term aims, and interest from elsewhere may just trigger a response from Spain.
For now, it looks as though Mbappe is set to stay, and in the process he might impart a lesson for PSG, a cautionary tale against handing out the keys to the kingdom so readily, promising him some £68m for seeing out his deal, handing far too much bargaining power to just one player.
They have a huge task on their hands in replacing both Messi and Mbappe this summer, and they will be hoping that the French superstar decides his future lies in Saudi Arabia. Players of his ilk don’t come cheap, and £259m might just get the French giants two of them to brighten up their prospects for next term.
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