Everyone still guessing on Mbappe’s Real deal

With just five months remaining on his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, Kylian Mbappe’s much-vaunted move to Real Madrid continues to dominate French football news.

The transfer window closed last week with Mbappe insisting he is yet to decide where he will play after this current deal with PSG concludes at the end of June, when he becomes a free agent.

On Saturday, both ESPN and the Parisien reported, without naming their source, that the superstar striker would leave France and join Madrid, the world’s biggest club. However, a source at the French club said on Monday that there had been no change in the long-standing deadlock between club and player.

🚨 Kylian Mbappé would be getting an estimated €150m signing-on fee from Real Madrid if he joins this summer.

(Source: @talkSPORT) pic.twitter.com/UPk1iQFpJf

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) February 6, 2024

He has “not informed the club of any decision”, said the source, despite there being an agreement that PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi will be first to know when his decision is made. Madrid said they had no comment to make when asked about the Mbappe links.

Mbappe last spoke on the issue in cryptic terms in early January.

“I haven’t made my decision, I haven’t made my choice. But we have an agreement with the president (Al-Khelaifi) which means that all parties are protected,” the 25-year-old told French television.

The France captain, who is expected to head the Olympic team at the 2024 Paris Games, added that he would inform Al-Khelaifi first and announce the news himself once any decision had been made.

PSG coach Luis Enrique, a former Real player, said on Thursday, ahead of a game where Mbappe scored his 20th league goal of the season, that the player had revealed nothing to him personally.

What does appear certain is that Mbappe has signed no deal as yet but is, in fact, locked in negotiations with Madrid over the size of his salary, an issue where the Qatar-backed PSG could easily match Real.

Mbappe is paid some €70 million (about R1.4 billion) a year already and as a free agent will be able to negotiate a blockbuster signing-on fee on top of any salary increase.

AFP