Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) reportedly fear that Kylian Mbappe has already decided his future amid interest from Real Madrid.
The French superstar penned a two-year extension last year with an option to extend his contract by another 12 months. But he doesn’t want to take up that clause, and Real Madrid are circling him once again.
PSG have reportedly placed a €200 million valuation on the 24-year-old but Real Madrid want to wait until 2024 to sign him on a free transfer. This would be a nightmare scenario for Les Parisiens, considering they paid €180 million to sign him permanently from AS Monaco in 2018.
According to L’Equipe (h/t @MadridXtra), PSG fear this situation is set to happen. They believe Mbappe has already decided to leave the club as a free agent at the end of next season.
Real Madrid are in need of a world-class striker after Karim Benzema’s move to Al-Ittihad last month. It remains to be seen if they sign a new centre-forward to hold down the No. 9 position until they launch an offensive to sign Mbappe.
Joselu, 33, has signed on a season-long loan from Espanyol with an option to buy for €1.5 million. But he isn’t thought of as a striker who would be starting week in, week out at Real Madrid.
What Kylian Mbappe has said about PSG stay amid Real Madrid interest
Last month, Kylian Mbappe sent a letter to PSG that would have sent their boardroom into a frenzy.
The Frenchman clarified that he didn’t want to extend his contract at the club, putting the Ligue 1 giants in a difficult situation. They can either keep him and lose him for nothing next year, or, they could see another superstar leave the club instantly after Lionel Messi’s exit.
Addressing the issue at a press conference last month, the France national team captain said, via GOAL:
“My objective is to stay, it’s the only option for now. I didn’t think a letter could kill anyone. I didn’t think it was going to offend anyone. I only sent a letter. I don’t really care about the reactions.
“Why go to the end of my contract? There’s no need to explain, people can talk, they don’t have all the ins and outs, too bad for them. I know why I’m doing this, there’s no problem with that.”
PSG are in a situation they thought they wouldn’t have had to deal with for at least another year. Not only are they in a position to lose their club’s most prolific player in history (212 goals), but they could have to do it without getting anything in return.