PARIS — Kylian Mbappe told Paris Saint-Germain on Monday he would not take up the option to extend his contract until 2025, raising the specter that he could succeed Lionel Messi from the club this summer.
The 24-year-old French striker’s current contract expires at the end of next season, with an option for a further year.
If he doesn’t sign, the French champions risk losing him for nothing in a year’s time – so they could sell him now this summer rather than miss out on a stroke of luck for one of the world’s best players.
Mbappe’s decision not to renew, announced in a letter to the club and revealed by French sports outlet L’Equipe, comes as a fresh blow to PSG following Messi’s defeat by Inter Miami.
Mbappe had until July 31, 2023 to decide.
Mbappe’s move comes just over a year after he snubbed Real Madrid by surprisingly signing a contract extension to remain at Parc des Princes.
Real would again be the main suitor among his suitors.
Mbappe’s environment did not immediately respond to inquiries late Monday evening.
The striker’s free transfer at the end of his current contract in the summer of 2024 would prove disastrous for PSG.
In addition to the gap created in the team, the club would also miss out on the millions of euros that a transfer would bring in.
The future of fellow Brazilian star striker Neymar, who is under contract until 2025, also seems unclear ahead of the upcoming summer of upheaval in the French capital.
– Growing doubts about the future –
Mbappe joined PSG on a season-long loan from Monaco in August 2017, resulting in a permanent deal worth 180 million euros ($194 million).
As a teenager, he helped France win the 2018 World Cup and has established himself as arguably the leading striker on the world stage.
Mbappe also scored a hat-trick in France’s 2022 World Cup final defeat by Messi’s Argentina, helping Paris Saint-Germain to a record 11th French title.
But Mbappe hinted last month he could leave in 2024.
“I said that I will play at PSG next year. I have one year left on contract so I will honor my contract,” he said when asked about his future at an awards ceremony where he was voted Ligue 1 Player of the Season for the fourth straight year.
At Clairefontaine, where France are preparing for their next European Championship qualifiers, the striker looked relaxed on Monday.
Smiling and joking with coach Didier Deschamps and fellow attacking fellow Antoine Griezmann, he attended afternoon practice and signed dozens of autographs for spectators.
The announcement of Mbappe’s intentions at PSG comes as further irritation for the club’s Qatari owners after a difficult season on and off the pitch, despite winning the French league.
After another failure in the Champions League, the club is working on finding a successor for coach Christophe Galtier.
The season was widely seen as a disappointment after PSG were knocked out of the Champions League and French Cup simultaneously by Bayern Munich in the round of 16.
As for Neymar, PSG have regularly worried about the Brazilian’s fitness since he signed for a record-breaking €222m from Barcelona in 2017.
He has scored 118 goals in 173 games for PSG but missed more than 100 games through injury or suspension.
2023-06-13 08:09:43
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