The struggle to liberate Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain continues, and today this transfer saga took another plot twist. The PSG brass have certainly made their fair share of bizarre, some would say even borderline creepy, public comments on about the future of Mbappe at the club.
Now we really know the reason why that is- Mbappe wanted out back in July, told them so, with the intention of giving them enough time to try and find a quality replacement. While Real Madrid was interested, PSG let a potential deal with the Spanish giants collapse this summer transfer window.
And with that, the French juggernauts let a whole massive amount of money slip through their fingers.
Today, ahead of France’s World Cup Qualifier with Belgium this week, Mbappe laid it all out on the line.
“I wanted the club to have a fee for a quality replacement,” Mbappe told French outlet RMC Sport.
“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.”
To hear Mbappe tell it, he was looking out, not just for himself, but for everybody. While PSG is exceedingly rich, way beyond every other club not named Manchester City, it was mind-boggling how they didn’t cash in on Mbappe when they could do so.
Now he can start negotiating for a free transfer, provided it’s a non-French club, come January. ESPN reported that Madrid made bids of €160m, €180m and finally €200m on Aug. 31 before the transfer window closed.
One of the best players alive today, not just the best young footballers, but best overall players, many believe he could be someday be the next Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi.
But while fixated on getting actual Messi, PSG made a huge mess of this situation and now they’re going to lose out on a ton of money.
Of course, they can easily afford making such a gaffe, but still. At least the next couple transfer windows should be more interesting now.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
He co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.