The rumour mill is rife with reports of PSG starlet Kylian Mbappe being on the verge of joining Real Madrid this summer, but a cryptic post from a French investigative journalist suggests there could be a massive twist in the tale.
The 23-year-old’s contract with the Ligue 1 champions is up in June and despite refusing to pen a new deal so far, the Parisians haven’t given up their hopes of retaining him.
They’ve reportedly offered to give him 100% of his image rights, the highest wages in football, the captain’s armband and most importantly, make him the leader of their sporting project.
This gives Mbappe the power to dismiss a coach on his own and even call the shots in terms of transfer – something no club normally ever lets their players do.
It appears that all this has indeed tempted the star to stay on in Paris, as journalist Romain Molina posted an interesting Tweet indirectly related to this long-winded saga.
He wrote:
“Money talks (and wins) [Flag of Qatar]”
What we can assume here is that the Qatari management of PSG have won the battle in keeping the World Cup-winner, who might have declined Real Madrid’s contract.
Los Blancos had reached an agreement with Mbappe and offered him a five-year deal worth €40 million-a-year with an additional €40 million in signing-on bonuses, according to journalist Nico Schira.
Molina’s tweet, however, suggests it’s all come to nothing, and Mbappe could be set for an extension with PSG, whose approach has been based on financial perks only.
An official announcement on Mbappe’s part is still awaited and it will be interesting to see if the France international really chooses money over the chance to win more silverware.
PSG star would be wise to join Real Madrid
Mbappe is widely touted as a future Ballon d’Or winner and he’s expressed his desire to win the Champions League someday too.
He will have a better chance of getting his hands on both with Real Madrid than PSG, who’ve consistently failed in their European pursuit despite heavy spending.
His numbers with the Parisians are staggering but will carry more weight if he’s able to post the same in a more competitive league like La Liga.
Los Blancos also have Champions League DNA, having won it the most times in history and are sitting on the brink of another one next week.
It’s all in Mbappe’s hands now.