Kylian Mbappé has ‘chosen to join Paris Saint-Germain from Real Madrid this summer’, according to reports.
It comes amid a long and drawn-out saga between the French World Cup winner and the Spanish club, with the PSG captain having been linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes for almost four years.
With his contract with the Ligue 1 club set to expire this summer, Le Parisien report that Mbappé ‘has decided to leave Ligue 1 at the end of the season and join the biggest club in the world (Real Madrid), who has always been waiting for him.’
The newspaper states that ‘optimism reigns in Madrid’ and that ‘negotiations are underway for the largest dressing room’ contract’ for the 25-year-old winger.
Mbappe does have an option to extend his contract with PSG for another year, a deal that would net him a net profit of £60m over the next 12 months. That would also prevent PSG from losing him on a free transfer, after the club initially signed him for £153 million from Monaco in 2018.
Kylian Mbappe has reportedly opted to join Real Madrid this summer after a lengthy transfer saga
There is ‘optimism in Madrid’ that Mbappé will join the Spanish club and ‘negotiations are underway’
The 25-year-old (right) scored and beat Marco Asensio (left) as PSG defeated Strasbourg on Friday night
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The forward played a starring role for PSG on Friday evening as they beat Strasbourg 2-1 at the Stade de la Meinau. Mbappé had missed a penalty early in the match, but responded to give the Ligue 1 champions a 1-0 lead, scoring his twentieth goal of the season. He also provided an assist for Marco Asensio, who scored the winner.
Paris reportedly even offered the 25-year-old a ‘never-before-seen £86m-a-year contract’ to spurn Madrid and commit his future to the French club.
Last summer it was claimed that Madrid were preparing a £103 million bid to sign the PSG superstar, but in a bid to keep Mbappe, PSG slapped a world record price of £213 million on the winger.
President Nasser Al-Khelaifi had also openly stated that he wanted the winger to stay.
He told RMC: ‘Look, I’m not hiding anything.
‘I definitely want Mbappé to stay. For me he is the best in the world and for me Paris is the best club for Kylian.’
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal had even attempted to sign him, offering Mbappe a £173.2m-a-year deal to move to the Middle East.
However, it appears that Real are too attractive an option for Mbappe, despite reports that he could likely sign for a lower wage than what he currently commands at PSG.
Winning both individual and team trophies is also an added appeal for the forward, who believes his best chance of winning the Champions League could be with Real Madrid.
It was reported at the end of January that Mbappé was close to announcing his future plans, having agreed a contract extension in May 2022.
Spanish outlet AS reported at the end of January that the player will soon end the long-running saga with Real Madrid
In May 2022, Mbappé agreed to a contract extension to remain with his hometown club until 2025.
Mbappé is undoubtedly the star of the show at PSG, but at Real Madrid he would probably be on the same level as Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jnr.
After much back and forth between Mbappe and Real Madrid, speculation about a possible move to Madrid has increased in recent weeks.
He has been free to negotiate with other clubs since January 1, having entered the final six months of his PSG contract.
Liverpool have also been closely linked with a move for the striker, with Le Parisien also claiming that ‘Mbappe would be open to joining the Merseyside club.’
Things have also changed recently, with his mother Fayza Lamari once again becoming his agent after newspapers in Spain reported late last year that she had to stop representing her son due to FIFA’s new rules for agents.
Although these rules have subsequently been ‘relaxed’, Lamari recently stepped back into her position as his agent and will play a major role in the next step of his football career. But she is known for playing hardball when it comes to business, with Lamari also previously playing hardball with her son over his wages.
His relationship with PSG has soured in recent years. Although Mbappe has helped the Qatari club to several league titles, scoring 241 goals in 288 games in all competitions, the two sides have clashed several times in the past.
In August, he was banished to the PSG B team after a stalemate broke out between him and the Ligue 1 champions after he refused to sign a new contract with the club. Claims were made that he told reserve team members that they were better than some players in the senior squad.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi hoped to keep Mbappe and admitted he wanted him to stay
Fayza Lamari (L), who is both his mother and his agent, had stepped down as his agent late last year but returned to represent him after FIFA relaxed rules for agents
Mbappe, a born winner, has made it clear he will not stay at PSG after his deal
It is claimed that the top flight has told PSG’s B team that they have more talent than the main squad
He was also excluded from PSG’s summer tour of Japan, a trip that required him to take center stage, with the club dropping him from all advertising.
It came amid his row with the club over a contract extension, with Mbappe writing to PSG to declare that he would not be renewing his deal with the club.
Mail Sport had also seen a copy of correspondence between the two parties, in which the club accused Mbappe of having inflicted ‘permanent paralysis on the club’, while also writing that ‘years of unprecedented goodwill, commitment and investment’ should see him to ‘think about the future of the club and its fans’.
Mbappe had also criticized the club after they used his image in an advertising campaign for 2023 season tickets, with the caption ‘It’s not Kylian-Saint Germain’.
Despite this, he returned to action for the club at the start of the season, scoring in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse before jumping over a billboard and appearing to shout ‘I’m staying!’
Despite this, it appears his time with the Parisians could be coming to an end, with Mbappe reportedly now ‘choosing’ to join Real Madrid in the summer.