Whether it’s Real Madrid or Liverpool FC, there is constant speculation about where Kylian Mbappé will play if and when he decided to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
Currently, Mbappé is under contract with PSG until June 2022. The thought has always been that PSG will try and convince him to sign an extension but if they’re unable to, they will be forced to sell before he enters his final year. He will no doubt command the largest transfer fee ever and PSG will want to cash in on their asset…or will they?
According to a report from Sport, PSG has “no intention of selling their star player regardless of how reluctant he is to accept a new contract offer.”
The Spanish publication goes on to say that PSG executives plan to “get every drop out of Mbappé until the last day of his deal.”
Sport indicates that Real Madrid, the favorites to sign Mbappé, would likely make PSG an offer for Mbappé in 2021, the last year of his contract in an effort to sign him for below market value as PSG wouldn’t want to lose him on a free transfer to a UEFA Champions League rival.
It sounds like a solid plan if you’re Real Madrid, except money isn’t really that much of a concern for PSG according to the Sport report. It was recently revealed that Les Parisiens generated the fifth most revenue in world football and while losing Mbappé on a free transfer would sting, getting an additional year out of him might be worth it in terms of commercial deals and performance on the pitch.
Finally, Sport does point out that PSG may not have a choice in whether to keep Mbappé and see his contract out.
“…according to Article 17 of [FIFA’s] Statutes on the Transfers of Players, since 2001, players have been able to rescind their contract, even without what would constitute just cause, once they have completed the protected period of three years. It would then be FIFA who determines the fee.”
It’s unlikely that FIFA will have to step in and facilitate a transfer but it’s an interesting scenario if PSG were to actually implement their strategy.
If he is sold, Mbappé will no doubt set the record for the most expensive transfer in history passing PSG teammate Neymar Jr. (€222 million in 2017). Can any team truly afford Mbappé and comply with Financial Fair Play regulations? The Frenchman may be so good that he is untransferable due to his astronomical price tag.
Hopefully, none of this will be necessary and PSG will be successful in the Champions League this season and Mbappé will decide to extend his contract for a couple more years to continue playing alongside Neymar and build a dynasty in Paris. He’s only 21 after all. There’s plenty of time to join Real Madrid.
Don’t expect to hear anything from Mbappé until after the end of the season, though. As he said in a recent interview with BBC Sport, “We are in January – it’s the money time of the season…Now I’m with PSG and I’m 100% with the club. I want to help the club grow this season, to win a lot of titles, so for me, it’s not good to talk about [my future].”
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