Opinion: Mbappé Becoming a Distraction as Real Madrid Rumors Run Rampant

There are few things I hate more than indecisiveness and at this point, Kylian Mbappé is testing my patience as a fan of Paris Saint-Germain.

Allow me to set the stage. For the past two years, everyone and their grandmother have known that Mbappé’s current contract with PSG expires at the end of the 2021-22 season. We’ve heard absolutely nothing from the player about what he wants other than a “solid project” and representatives from PSG only say that they will never sell him and they expect a decision soon.

Well, PSG reached the UEFA Champions League finals in 2019-20 and last season, they reached the semi-finals. To re-tool ahead of the upcoming season, the club has signed Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Georginio Wijnaldum. Not to mention that Paul Pogba could be making his way to Paris later this summer. Even Home Depot is impressed with this project PSG has put together.

Compared to Real Madrid, the club rumored to have captured Mbappé’s heart, PSG has the better squad and a more favorable financial outlook. Les Parisiens can’t compete with Madrid’s history or global notoriety, but those are things built by other great players. Mbappé would simply be stepping into those boots and anything short of winning three consecutive Champions League titles would be a failure.

Back to my original point, if it’s a project Mbappé wants, PSG can provide that. So, why not sign an extension? Leonardo, the club’s sporting director, wants him to stay. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, wants him to say. The club president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, wants him to stay. Perhaps more importantly, they have the money to increase his wages and make him one of the highest-earning footballers on the planet. Yet we all sit here and wait while the Spanish media churns out made-up rumors on a daily basis.

This is why I say Mbappé is becoming a distraction. The longer he stays silent about his future, Pochettino and his teammates will have to answer questions from the media about it. It’s going to be the storyline of the entire season and for no reason. Can you imagine if PSG draws Real Madrid in the Champions League this season? The press will be foaming at the mouth.

My message to Mbappé is this: If you don’t want to sign an extension, just say so publically. You hold all of the cards. PSG is powerless in this situation. You’re not damaging your future with Real Madrid or any other club. In fact, knowing how the mainstream media loves an opportunity to dunk on PSG, you’ll likely be praised for wanting to leave.

Continued silence will turn some fans against Mbappé and be nothing but a distraction ahead of what should be a very promising season. For me, I’m fine with a farewell tour or the start of something special. Just let us know already, will ya?

Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.