June 13 – Europe’s leading clubs have been on high alert for a potential bidding war following Kylian Mbappé’s shock decision to quit Paris St-Germain rather than extend his contract.
The 24-year-old French superstar stunned PSG by presenting a formal letter to the club’s hierarchy, informing them of his decision not to take up the option of a one-year contract extension a year from now.
Unless Mbappé is convinced to either reverse his decision or negotiate a completely new deal, the striker’s contract will expire in June 2024, when he would be able to leave PSG on a free transfer.
PSG’s record goalscorer would demand an astronomical fee with only a handful of clubs able to afford him.
Real Madrid have coveted Mbappé since his breakthrough season in 2016 at Monaco and need to fill the void left by Karim Benzema’s move to Saudi Arabia.
Mbappé was reported to have almost joined Real a year ago and has long been admired by Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez.
“I have lots of respect for [Pérez] and for Real Madrid,” Mbappé said back in May 2022. “I hope they’ll understand the fact I’ve chosen to stay [at PSG].”
That was then, this is now. There was a deadline of July 31 for Mbappe to tell PSG if he was going to renew until 2025. But after months of talks, he has sent the club a letter saying he will not.
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