Kylian Mbappe has admitted he would like to strike-up a new partnership with Hugo Ekiteke in the Paris Saint-Germain side as rumours continue to linger over Lionel Messi's future.
The 35-year-old, who has less than eight months left on his contract, has been heavily linked with a move to Inter Miami and co-owner David Beckham has made no secret of his desire to sign the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.
It is understood that PSG want to tie Messi down to an extension at the Parc des Princes, while Barcelona are also keen to re-sign the Argentine superstar. Messi parted ways with the Catalan giants in summer of 2021 after 21 years with the club, scoring over 650 goals and winning 27 major trophies.
Messi is currently a mainstay on the right side of a PSG front-three and has had an impressive start to the season, scoring 12 goals and grabbing 13 assists in 17 matches. However, should he leave the club, then PSG will have to replace him in the side. Mbappe has revealed who he would like to play with in the future - and it is someone who is already at the club.
According to France Bleu Paris, Mbappe has made his intentions known that he would like to play alongside Ekiteke in a front-two for PSG. Despite a tough start to life in the French capital, it is believed that the 20-year-old has support within the PSG changing room and Ekiteke knew what situation he was stepping into when he made the switch from Reims on loan in the summer.
Ekiteke has struggled for game time following his move to PSG and has played just 149 minutes of football in all competitions. Christophe Galtier previously revealed that the forward is unhappy with his lack of minutes and the PSG boss admitted it is partly his responsibility to force his way into his plans.
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But with Neymar, Mbappe and Messi as their first-choice front-three, it is difficult to make an argument for Ekiteke at the moment, although Mbappe does want to strike up a partnership with him. This comes after the 23-year-old deleted an Instagram post, suggesting he doesn't like playing on his own up-front.
With doubts over Messi's future, however, and Ekiteke having time on his side, Mbappe could get his wish with the youngster replacing the Argentine superstar in the future.
Last month, Mbappe posted a picture of himself with the hashtag 'pivot gang' on his Instagram story. According to Get French Football News, that's a reference to the France international not wanting to play as a lone striker. In the same post, Mbappe said, as translated in English: "Draw, meeting Tuesday."
For his country, Mbappe plays up alongside Olivier Giroud rather than out wide or alone up front. The pair both scored in France's 2-0 win over Austria back in September, with Antoine Griezmann playing in the No.10 role. He has made it perfectly clear he would prefer in that shape for PSG, with Ekiteke the next shining light at the club.
