Kylian mbappe kicking a football

Libby Hooper

The generational talent Kylian Mbappé may have made his name in France, but having been left out of PSG’s preseason and with a contract expiring next summer, it’s only a race against time for the club to finalise a deal to sell their superstar forward. But where exactly will he go? 

Kylian Mbappé was only a teenager upon joining PSG on loan from Monaco in the summer of 2017. Only a year later, he became the club’s second most expensive signing – following Brazilian forward Neymar who had completed a move from Barcelona a year earlier. 

There has arguably never been a player with such an obviously bright future so early in their career which begs only one question, where will Mbappé take his talent next?

La Liga

Real Madrid are largely in pole position to sign the Frenchman upon his contract expiring in the summer of 2024. This retains faith in Mbappé to see his contract out, prior to leaving to join the Spanish titans on a free transfer. 

“Mbappe’s links to La Liga demonstrates a rare instance of football predestination.”

Mbappé’s links to La Liga demonstrates a rare instance of football predestination. A move to Real Madrid seems to be written in the stars for all involved. Mbappé’s legacy in Europe will only be enhanced by playing for a club as historic and successful as Los Blancos. Madrid would also benefit greatly from acquiring the replacement striker they desperately need, having lost former forward Karim Benzema to the Saudi Pro League earlier this year. 

This replacement may well be on the market. However, if Madrid continue to relish in their complacency and wait for the World Cup’s Golden Boot winner’s contract to expire, they may well be outbid. This could pressure Madrid into spending where they had not been expecting to – a real issue considering their already pricey transfer window signing players such as Jude Bellingham at great cost. 

Real Madrid certainly appears to be the prime contester for the Frenchman, and confidence has been demonstrated on both sides that the deal will be finalised. However, with PSG expecting a staggering fee, it is debatable as to whether the Spanish giants will be willing to fork out such a cost for a player with merely a year left on his contract. 

The issue remains as to whether they will be beaten to the signing by a suitor who could meet PSG’s staggering financial demands. The question is who exactly could meet these terms? 

Saudi Pro League 

The Saudi Pro League has been successfully scouting out world-class players to add to their already impressive roster of signings so far this summer (Firmino, Saint-Maximin, etc…), and Kylian Mbappé would slot in to this profile seamlessly. 

Al-Hilal have been seeking to sign the French striker for a record fee of €300m, along with an annual wage of €700m. However, Mbappé has allegedly been refusing talks with the club, with Al-Hilal representatives even having been in Paris as recently as this week, but no meetings occurring with Mbappé or his team, according to SkySports.

“if Mbappé was to even ‘consider’ a move to Saudi Arabia, ruining his legacy as a footballer”

A move to the Middle East, however, has been criticised among pundits as tainting his legacy and his career before it has even peaked. Former footballer Jamie O’Hara claimed in an interview with TalkSport that if Mbappé were to even ‘consider’ a move to Saudi Arabia, it would be “ruining his legacy as a footballer”.

While wanting to retain UCL football will obviously play a factor in choosing his next club, it could be speculated that Mbappé is refusing to engage with Saudi clubs due to having already set his heart on a move to Spain next summer.

Premier League

Rumours of links between Mbappé and various Premier League clubs have left hopeful fans of the English clubs crossing their fingers. Most optimistic were Arsenal supporters, with Mbappé reportedly having praised and ‘noticed’ the progress made under Arteta, which brought the North London club into a tense title race against Manchester City. 

While this move would make sense for both parties, with the Gunners having already made some stellar (yet costly) signings this summer (Havertz for £65m, Rice for £100m), it is unlikely that the club would be able to justify further spending on acquiring the Frenchman at this time.

Rumours of a loan to Chelsea have emerged and been subsequently dispelled, with the London club in grave need of a consistent forward to perform in the upcoming season. And Mbappé, with his 29 goals in 34 appearances in the 2022/23 Ligue 1 season, more than meets this criteria.

Alleged talks with Liverpool have also occurred, with a loan move giving PSG the opportunity to cash in on their talent prior to the 24-year-old leaving France next summer. This is a crucial issue for Real Madrid to deal with, as playing the waiting game runs the risk of Premier League clubs swooping in and interfering with the deals.

An uncertain future…

At the time of writing, rumours around Mbappé’s future club remain constantly changing. Whilst he will thrive wherever he goes, Real Madrid appear to be leading the race to bring the French talent to the Bernabéu – albeit earlier, and for a larger price tag, than they ever expected. 

That being said, nothing is finalised yet, so who knows? Maybe we will see Mbappé shining on a rainy night in Sheffield.

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Featured image courtesy of u_goppxlsc6c on Pixabay. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Animal lover, football enthusiast, and Sociology student at the University of Cambridge.

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