Kylian Mbappe looks set to join Real Madrid
France superstar Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that he will be leaving Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The 25-year-old will therefore become a free agent at the end of June and Spanish giants Real Madrid have long been the favourites to secure his signature.
In a video shared on his social media accounts, Mbappe said: “I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes and so I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come an end in a few weeks.
“I will play my last game at the Parce des Princes on Sunday. It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player by being alongside some of the best in history, to meet a lot of people and to grow as a man with all the glory and the mistakes I’ve made.”
Mbappe went on to thank all the players, managers and staff members he worked with at PSG. He also announced that his next club will be outside of France.
“I never thought it would be this difficult to leave my country… Ligue 1 (is a) championship I have always known, but I think I needed… a new challenge after seven years,” he continued. “It’s difficult and of course there are some people I want to thank above all, these are the fans.
“I know I’m not the most demonstrative player, I haven’t always lived up to the love you all gave me for seven years but I never wanted to cheat. I have always wanted to be effective. PSG is a club that never leaves anyone indifferent. We can love it or hate it.
“I made the choice of loving it and I did for seven years, with ups and downs of course, but I do not regret any moment since signing with this prestigious club. It’s a club that I will keep in my memory my entire life.”
Kylian Mbappe is Real Madrid-bound
As mentioned, Real Madrid are the big favourites to sign Mbappe on a free transfer this summer.
Only a handful of European clubs can afford the forward’s wage demands. He currently earns an eye-watering £888,000 per week with PSG.
It isn’t clear at this stage how much Madrid are willing to pay Mbappe per week but reports suggest that he is willing to take a pay cut to make the move happen.
He will still be a hugely-expensive salary wise though, with a move that has been dubbed the ‘most expensive free transfer in history’ now looking inevitable.
The forward joined PSG from Monaco back in 2017 and has made over 300 appearances for the club, scoring more than 250 goals in the process. He has lifted six Ligue 1 titles with PSG, as well as eight other domestic cups.
Mbappe has never won the Champions League with the French giants despite them reaching the final in 2020 and that will no doubt be his next big aim.
He won the World Cup with France in 2018 and narrowly missed out on lifting the trophy a second time in 2022, when he scored a hattrick against Argentina but Les Bleus ultimately lost on penalties.
