Kylian Mbappe has hit out at PSG, as the French superstar confirmed he told Les Parisiens he wanted to leave this summer.
[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ]
Mbappe, 22, has less than 12 months left on his contract with Paris Saint-Germain and the French giants turned down a huge $186 million bid from Real Madrid late in the summer window.
Speaking to French outlet RMC Sport as he prepares to play for France in their UEFA National League semifinal against Belgium this week, Kylian Mbappe didn’t mince his words.
Not at all.
What did Mbappe say?
“I wanted the club to have a fee for a quality replacement,” Mbappe said. “My position was clear, I said that I wanted to leave.
“I did not appreciate the fact that they said I came [with the news he wanted to leave] in the last week of August. I said at the end of July that I wanted to go.
“I said it early enough so that the club could react. I wanted everyone to come out of this stronger, that we leave hand in hand.”
Mbappe added that he is happy to remain at PSG, for now, but he is free to talk to non-French clubs in January about a free transfer from July 1, 2022.
He has also been speaking to other French outlets, and said this to L’Equipe when asked if he was going to leave PSG: “I’ve been in football long enough to know that yesterday’s truth is not necessarily today’s. If I was told that Messi was going to PSG, I wouldn’t have believed it so you never know what’s going to happen.”
He then added this: “I stayed at PSG and I’m really happy... But we’re far from signing a new contract and staying, as I wanted to leave this summer. With regard to my situation, we haven’t been discussing a renewal for two months, since I said I wanted to leave.”
Hmmm. Okay. This is only going one way.
Where will he go?
With Neymar and Lionel Messi alongside him up front for PSG, there is no doubt Mbappe is part of the greatest attacking trio in the game right now. Aside from Neymar, Luis Suarez and Messi at Barcelona a few years ago, it may be one of the very best of all time.
But Mbappe has always stated he wants to go to Real Madrid and given their awful financial situation, it is quite clear what is happening here.
Mbappe will wait until January to sign a pre-contract agreement with Real and agree to leave PSG in July for nothing.
He said as much in his interviews, that his only aim last summer was to head to Real. And Real president, Florentino Perez, wants to make it happen, too.
Perhaps a Premier League move?
That is not an ideal outcome for Les Parisiens, who still want him to sign a new deal, but if PSG win the Champions League this season, Mbappe can move on and reflect on a job well done. Right?
PSG don’t need the transfer funds for him, but it will be intriguing to see where offers flood in from, aside from the obvious one from Real Madrid.
It’s clear that Real are the favorites to sign Mbappe, but maybe Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea or Manchester United will make a big move for him? This could be the perfect situation for Man City to swoop in.
He’s on a free. They have to at least look at that situation.