No matter what happens on deadline day tomorrow, this will still go down as the most massive summer transfer window of all time. It saw both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo switch teams, but it looks like we won’t be able to add Kylian Mbappe to the list.
That is unless we see a total 180 degree reversal in the final hours of the window. Reports claim that Real Madrid gave PSG a deadline to respond to their last offer, but the Ligue 1 giants simply did not.
Madrid offered Paris Saint-Germain €180 million ($212 million) — €170m plus €10m in variables on Thursday, according to ESPN.
This was an improvement on their initial €160m ($188m) bid from earlier last week. If there is not a third bid made by end of day tomorrow, Mbappe will stay put.
The Frenchman has ignored several contract renewal offers from PSG, and he wants to move to Madrid, who could potentially get him for free next summer. Once New Year’s Day comes, Los Blancos could sign him as a free agent for the next season, as his deal expires in June.
It’s really hard to explain what PSG is doing here, as they’re holding out for more money, as they’re obstinate about making a big profit on the former Monaco man.
But hardball could easily backfire on them here as they would end up losing out on $200 million, approximately, if Mbappe walks.
Maybe they’ll realize this and then they’ll return Florentino Perez’s calls tomorrow. In the meantime, Madrid is already working on signing another French player, Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 18, who has been linked to Manchester United this summer.
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.