Whose Shirt Will Kylian Mbappe Pull On Next Season?

French World Cup superstar Kylian Mbappe’s Shall I Stay or Shall I Go transfer saga has kicked into action again.

No one knows where Paris Saint Germain’s (PSG) record goal scorer will play next season.

The 24-year-old has netted 212 goals and provided 98 assists for teammates since joining PSG six years ago.

His silky skills have helped PSG dominate French football, winning five league titles and 113 other trophies.

Record goal scorer

Mbappe is also closing in on Olivier Giroud’s record 53 international goals for France. He has scored 38 in 68 games. The haul includes a 2022 World Cup final hat-trick against Argentina – the first hat-trick since Geoff Hurst bagged three goals for England in the 1966 final.

The doubts stem from Mbappe’s refusal to sign a new contract with the French giants, provoking PSG to sell as he only has a year left and can leave for free next season.

PSG can now cut their losses by selling him to recoup the £168 million fee, which brought him to grace the Park des Princes.

Of course, the contract upset could be posturing to leverage PSG into offering a new contract with higher wages with the veiled threat of leaving for a rival club.

Every club would love to sign him, but only a few have the cash to afford him.

The Real Thing

Leading the chasing pack is Real Madrid. Before the deal was called off, Mbappe had already agreed on personal terms with the Spanish giants last season. Mbappe has said the Real door is open for him if he wishes to make the switch to Spain.

Real was willing to hand over a £127 million signing-on fee and added a £34 million a year wage.

However, things have changed in Madrid. Striker Karim Benzima has agreed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, leaving Real short of a top-class striker. It’s no secret they are courting Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane to fill the void and to link with fellow England teammate Jude Bellingham, who has just moved to Real for an £88.5 million fee.

Manchester United

The Red Devils had a mixed season without a recognised main striker playing as a number nine.

United won the English Football League Cup, finished third in the league and were beaten FA Cup finalists. The club wants to bring in Harry Kane, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is a notoriously difficult opponent in negotiations and is unlikely to sanction his top player moving to a close league rival.

Add to that the uncertainty of the club being up for sale and doubts about how much money might be available in a transfer warchest funded by the existing or new owners.

There’s no doubt United has the cash to do the deal, but does Mbappe fancy a stint amid the uncertainty in Manchester?

Saudi Arabia

Money’s no object for the Saudis, who have already signed several fading European soccer stars for astonishing amounts of money.

Cristiano Rinaldo, 38, lines up for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, where he draws a £62 million salary. Ronaldo’s former Real Madrid teammate, Karim Benzema, is on his way with French midfielder N’Golo Kante. Kante has a £86 million a year contract on the table.

PSG’s Lionel Messi turned down the offer from the Middle East and has opted to join US side Inter Miami.

Surely Mbappe is not so desperate for money that he would turn his back on the world stage in the long career ahead. Despite the money, Saudi Arabia is a football backwater attracting over-the-hill players looking for a cash bonus in the sunset of their careers.

Chelsea

Chelsea is not the same team as under-sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovic a year or two ago. The new owners have burned through £350 million in the last transfer windows only to make the team worse seemingly.

Confidence is low, but the new manager may make a difference. Coincidentally, Mauricio Pottechino sits in the chair and was the PSG manager when Mbappe signed for the club.

Change is on the way at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has more players than first-team spots and need to thin out their squad before bringing other players in.

Mbappe will want Champions League football and a finished project to move to – neither of which Chelsea can provide.

Liverpool

Liverpool may have the financial capability to string a deal together for Mbappe, but by signing him, they would have to spend big on players who can supply his goal-scoring from midfield and the wings.

A big-name signing like Mbappe could upset the balance of the team, and the question is would he want to go there as Liverpool missed the cut for next season’s Champions League?

Where Will Mbappe Go?

It’s probably easier to find where Mbappe will not go than where he will end up.

It’s got to be a Champions League club with the financial clout to buy and pay him while building a team of stars around him.

That only leaves PSG, Manchester United and Real Madrid.

The Spaniards were upset by his last-minute refusal to join them last season. Manchester UNited are seeking a change of ownership and may not want to commit financially to such an expensive signing before the new owners slip into their boardroom seats.

That just leaves PSG as the team most likely to sign him on a new contract.

Whatever the outcome, Mbappe is probably well on the way to being one of the greatest players and goalscorers of all time and will continue to delight soccer fans worldwide with his skills.

Kylian Mbappe FAQ