Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe has dominated headlines during the first few weeks of the summer transfer window after sparking speculation over his future. The 24-year-old is now into the final 12 months of his contract at the Parc des Princes, leading to plenty of links with an exit.
Mbappe informed PSG that he will not be activating his option to extend his current deal by a year - meaning he could leave the club for free next summer. PSG are desperate to not lose the French international on a free transfer next year and have set a clear stance on his future: be sold or sign a new contract.
Real Madrid have emerged as the most likely destination for the prolific forward, although it is currently unclear whether or not the Spanish giants can afford to sanction a move. Premier League sides Chelsea and Arsenal have also been mooted as potential alternatives so football.london has rounded up all the latest speculation on Mbappe's future below.
Mbappe behaviour slammed
Former PSG sporting director Leonardo has slammed the behaviour of Kylian Mbappe in an interview with L'Equipe. He told the French publication: "For the good of PSG, I think the time has come for Mbappe to go, no matter what. Paris-Saint-Germain existed before Kylian Mbappe and it will exist after him. He's been in Paris for six years and, over those six seasons, five different clubs have won the Champions League (Real Madrid in 2018 and 2022, Liverpool in 2019, Bayern Munich in 2020, Chelsea in 2021 and Manchester City in 2023), none of which had Mbappe in their ranks. That means it's entirely possible to win this competition without him."
"With his behaviour over the last two years, Mbappe is showing that he's not yet a player capable of really guiding a team. He's a great player, not a leader. He's a great goalscorer, not a creative one. It's hard to build a team around him."
Arsenal warning sent by Gunners icon
Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has warned his old club about the perils of potentially shattering their wage structure to sign Kylian Mbappe. Smith told Gambling Zone: "I would think that the chances of Mbappe joining Arsenal are extremely unlikely.
"The money that it would take to sign him would be astronomical. I think the only place he can go is Real Madrid. I think that’s the only place and that is probably the place that he wants to go as well.
"Financially, we know the club is run really well. I think Arsenal would be very conscious of the wage structure they have in place, which needs to be tightly controlled.
"I would be very surprised if they were to smash that with the signing of Mbappe, as great as it would be to have him because he is one of the best players in the world. I don’t think it’s very likely."
Fresh PSG stance
"My position is very clear and I will not repeat it every time," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told a press conference last week. "We want Kylian to stay, but if he wants to stay, we want him to sign a new contract.
"We don’t want to let the best player in the world go for free, it’s impossible. PSG is a French club, it’s his city, and he’s already said he doesn’t want to leave for free.
"If today someone made him change his mind, it’s not my fault. I’ll say it again, we won’t let one of the best players in the world go for free, that’s very clear. I will not repeat."
Damning interview
Mbappe has claimed that playing for PSG hasn't helped the way the public views him because the Ligue 1 giants are a 'divisive' club.
During an interview with France Football, the French international revealed his desire to be seen in the same light as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. "Do people trivialise my performance? Yes, but at the same time, I don't blame them", Mbappe said.
"In France, they saw me grow up, they see me all the time, at PSG every weekend or in the national team. And I've been scoring a lot for years. So, for people, it becomes normal. I never complained that my performances were trivialised. I am young and I had the chance to be an observer, not so long ago, before being an actor.
"And myself, I trivialised what Messi was doing, what Cristiano Ronaldo was doing, what the great players were doing. We are in a consumer society, where 'it's good, but do it again'. And the fact that I'm right next door, in Paris... I think playing at PSG doesn't help much because it's a divisive team, a divisive club.
"So, of course it attracts gossip but it doesn't bother me because I know what I'm doing and how I do it."
Secret 'agreement'
PSG believe Kylian Mbappe has a "secret agreement" with Real Madrid over a transfer to join the club, according to reports from Sky Sports. The French forward is claimed to have been sent a letter by the Ligue 1 champions on Monday that claimed he must sign a new deal or he will be sold this summer.
The 24-year-old has just 12-months remaining on his contract with Les Parisiens, with reported interest from Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea too.
Arsenal preference revealed
A report from the Independent has stated PSG are adamant Madrid must pay what they want - but president Florentino Perez does not want to pay PSG a penny for Mbappe.
The report adds that Arsenal would actually be Mbappe's first preference if he were to ever go to the Premier League, both because he likes the evolution of Mikel Arteta's team and would also enjoy the challenge of delivering the title to the club again. The 24-year-old is nevertheless seen as way beyond Arsenal's budget and it should be stressed there has been no contact.
Much will depend on whether there is a serious move, either by another club or Mbappe himself, as to whether Madrid go on to purchase him this summer. The Spanish club recently announced that their spending was finished for the summer with the surprising deal for Joselu, who is seen as a temporary replacement for Karim Benzema before going all in on Mbappe next summer.
PSG deadline
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has claimed that Mbappe must sign a deal soon or he will be made available on the transfer market this summer. Speaking at the unveiling of new head coach Luis Enrique, he said: "Our position is very clear, if Kylian Mbappe wants to stay - we want him to stay - he needs to sign a new contract.
"We cannot let the best player in the world right now leave for free. That is impossible."
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Double medical, Declan Rice hint, Mbappe deadline, Timber plan
Premier League move latest
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that, despite links with a move to the Premier League, there are currently no talks ongoing for Mbappe. He told CaughtOffside: "Despite some big headlines, I honestly have absolutely no news on any English clubs being in talks to sign Mbappe. If something will happen in the next months we will say that, but at this point I've absolutely zero information on this one."
Arsenal links
Arsenal are among the sides that have been linked with Mbappe as FootballTransfers reports that the Gunners are eyeing a move for the forward. The 24-year-old is claimed to be admired by the north London outfit, who are looking to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League in the near future.
Chelsea interest
Chelsea have been put on red alert over a move for Kylian Mbappe this summer after the forward refused an option to extend his contract by a further year. That's according to the Times, which reports that the Blues are monitoring a potential switch for the France international.
The move could see him reunite with former boss Mauricio Pochettino, who he played under at PSG and has since taken the head coach role at Chelsea.
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