Reported rumors that Kylian Mbappe has decided not to play for Paris Saint-Germain this season have been shot down. The 25-year-old, who is currently in the last six months of his contract, can now begin talks with teams throughout Europe for a pre-contract agreement in anticipation of a summer move.
Mbappe’s deal, which was essentially done for free, seems to be one of the largest in modern football history given the strange circumstances that brought it to this point. With this background, it is not surprising that the player is already being connected to some of England’s best clubs.
Among the teams looking for a new striker this year are Arsenal and Chelsea, whose struggles with goal scoring prevented them from playing to their full ability in the first half of the 2023–24 season. Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen have been strongly linked to both teams this month, but mid-season deals for either seem implausible.
The pre-contract can be agreed upon now, but Mbappe himself won’t be going until the summer, when he is free to leave PSG at the end of his contract. The two-time World Cup golden boot winner isn’t putting too much emphasis on himself, though.
“I haven’t decided what to do with my life yet. “I didn’t choose,” he responded when questioned about his plans for the future. “My situation inside the club is not a topic; nobody talks about it.”
Luis Enrique, the head coach, had echoed same remarks earlier in the week.
“I will continue to do what I have done with Kylian up until today,” declared the former manager of Spain. After a remarkable sequence of events, Enrique had originally left Mbappe out of his team for the preseason trip of Japan.
After telling PSG that he wouldn’t be playing for free, Mbappe’s contract would not be extended by one year, tying him tied until 2025. As a result, the team attempted to sell Mbappe in the summer.
With the understanding that he wouldn’t play for the team again, the French player was sent to train with a group of misfits.
After a brief period of time, however, Mbappe played a significant part in Enrique’s debut season, scoring 18 goals in just 16 games. Now, PSG will have no option but to let their star player go.
Real Madrid and Liverpool are the two teams most likely to complete a deal for Mbappe, however other teams have also been linked to the Frenchman. PSG, meanwhile, is reportedly eager to use every effort to prevent him from moving to Santiago Bernabeu, according to earlier reports.
Although there is currently no indication that Arsenal and Chelsea are making plans for their future with the former Monaco player, they will surely be keeping an eye on the issue considering how almost unprecedented it is.
