After Kylian Mbappé decided not to trigger the option to extend his contract until 2025, rumors of a possible exit surfaced. All eyes are on Real Madrid to make a move for the 24-year-old.
If Mbappé plays out the 2023-24 season on an expiring contract, then Paris Saint-Germain will lose the player on a free transfer. As a result, reports suggest that the capital club could look to sell the French star this summer to get a return.
However, should PSG sell the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, CBS Sports report Jonathan Johnson has difficulty envisioning Real Madrid making a move for him with finances only. The Spanish made their big money signing with Jude Bellingham.
“If Mbappé had planned to leave, he’d have put himself on Real Madrid’s radar long before they pulled the trigger on Jude Bellingham,” Johnson said on the latest episode of PSG Talking. “As soon as that Bellingham deal was confirmed, I really don’t think that there’s a way for Real Madrid to make a deal for Kylian Mbappé happen. Now, I’m not saying that they won’t ever be able to do a deal. I’m just talking about in terms of this summer for me.
“I think if Mbappé was to be a Real Madrid signing this summer, they would have had to have made the move, sort of lined up the move months ago. And the fact that Benzema sort of threw a spanner in the works by leaving it quite short notice for Saudi Arabia, I think that’s kind of blindsided Real Madrid a little bit as well. Had they known Mbappé almost certainly would have been their priority for this summer.”
Now, Johnson did say that perhaps Real Madrid could offer a player to help relieve that financial cost, which is where Aurélien Tchouaméni and Vinícius Júnior come in as potential options.
Los Blancos could offer either of those players and a reasonable fee to entice PSG to sell now. The summer transfer window is just starting, so it will be interesting to see if Real Madrid does or doesn’t make a move.