The exit door is once again open for Kylian Mbappé, who publicly clashed with PSG over his intention to leave the club on a free transfer in 2024. The door has gone from having a narrow crack to being wide open, with all the pending parties in the absence of a possible offer that unblocks the situation before August 31. On the one hand, Real Madrid pushes, most of the time discreetly, testing the terrain from the shadows, and on the other hand, the Parisian entity tries to close it with a renewal, again with the bill holder as an argument . And in the middle, with his hand on the knob, is the player, who not so long ago wanted to take root in Paris, where he hoped to become a symbol of the club and French football. Now, on the other hand, his idea of ??taking the road and blanket has resurfaced to fulfill his desire to wear white, a color he associates with the longed-for orelluda.
“I want to win the Champions League (…) I have this hunger to win. I don’t want to be on a team just to participate. That’s why they think I’m arrogant”, said the forward, who yesterday was developing humanitarian projects in Cameroon, his father’s country of origin, to France Football. Mbappé, who sees himself as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or, feels frustrated and held back by a “glass ceiling” after once again being the best in Ligue 1 and the top scorer for the fifth year. “Playing for PSG does not help, because it is a team that divides”, he said attacking the atmosphere of his club.
The relationship between the Gallic entity and its star has been hanging by a thread for years, and has sometimes been on the verge of divorce. PSG saved the situation last year in extremis with a record renewal until 2025, when there were days left for his contract to expire. The forward would have a salary of 72 million euros net per year, in addition to a renewal bonus of 100 million. Madrid, the third in discord in this football triangle, was then left without Bondy, whom they already saw at the Bernabéu. “This Mbappé is not my Mbappé,” said an offended Florentino Pérez after watching the French swear love to his city and his country in the Parc des Princes, where the renovation was staged.
A season later, the Parisian idyll has been broken. “It has to renew. We can’t let one go free. It is impossible. He said he would never go free”, warned Nasser Al-Khelaifi to Mbappé, who last Wednesday gave him a deadline of “two weeks” to stamp his signature on a new contract.
This position of strength has little recourse, with the club tied to the footballer’s contract and his will. The ultimatum, in addition to embarrassing the player, is an ineffective measure of pressure for a Mbappé who has the winning hand in this three-way game. The striker’s public position is to continue one more season in Paris and, next summer, be the master of his destiny, once the option of doing the optional year of his contract has been ruled out. This tug-of-war is also taking its toll in the dressing room, where six players could be unhappy with Mbappé’s attitude, according to RMC.
For its part, Madrid is experiencing déjà vu. The cards of the Spanish club are their successes in the Champions League and the sentimental factor, since Mbappé had a weakness for white during his childhood. Arguments that were demolished last year: paying, Saint Peter sings. Madrid moves again in uncertainty. An astronomical offer, like the one he presented for Mbappé in 2021, of 200 million, could end the series this summer. Otherwise, he is exposed to another twist of the script and the intervention of other actors who alter the game, such as the appearance of Luis Enrique, an arch-enemy of Madridism. “I don’t know what PSG needs to win the Champions League, it’s not a question for me. You have to talk to those who make the team”, said Mbappé. Perhaps the answer lies with the Asturian coach, who has promised to create “a great team”.
