France forward Kylian Mbappe has told Paris St Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season.
Mbappe’s departure is expected to spark a scramble to sign him by other elite European clubs, including Real Madrid.
Since joining PSG in 2018, the Frenchman has become one of the most expensive football players in the world. The exact terms of the exit are yet to be released, but they are expected to be finalised in the coming months.
Although unexpected this move is not too surprising. In July last year the club sent the £171m a year player a letter putting a deadline of July 31 to make a decision of his future career.
Mbappe had also turned down a £616m offer for a one season loan at Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal, shattering the previous record fee of £264m.
Real Madrid are seen to be the frontrunners to sign him in the summer, and although the contract they are rumoured to offer may not be as financially lucrative as his PSG deal, their offer will instead incentivise offers such as commercial benefits, contractual benefits and the ability to spread his image on an even more global scale.
Other clubs have shown potential interest. Premier league clubs Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have previously been interested but couldn’t afford the world cup winners wages, yet the Gunners have suggested a recent move similar to Theirry Henry’s signing to Arsenal in 1999, to which the Frenchman has said he is “open to.”
For PSG, Mbappe is the fourth major international player to leave the club, following Lionel Messi and Neymar and to Saudi Arabia and Sergio Ramos to Sevilla.
PSG have already reached an agreement to extend 17-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery’s contract who was already signed until 2025. In January, the club signed two major young stars sign, Lucas Beraldo, 20 and Gabriel Moscardo, 18, highlighting that in the last 12 months the average age of the Paris based team has significantly decreased.
Even though the club has continued to sign talent totalling around £250m, the club will not only be loosing a talent which has been the face of the club, but they will be loosing a player that the team has been built around for many seasons. The mark Kylian Mbappe has left on the club will cast a shadow over the team for seasons to come.