Kylian Mbappe has announced that he would remain at Paris Saint-Germain causing Real Madrid to miss out on their long-term transfer priority once again.
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With his PSG contract set to end on June 30, Mbappe, 23, was largely expected to join Real Madrid this summer. Mbappe is expected to sign a three-year contract with PSG after a late change of heart.
A source said Mbappe has informed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez of his decision, as well as PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino and the rest of his teammates.
Since PSG rejected a series of bids in the region of €200 million for Mbappe last summer, Real Madrid had been in contact with his entourage all season, and sources said they believed they had the player’s word that he would join them as a free agent.
PSG, on the other hand, was determined to persuade Mbappe to stay, and sources have it that he has agreed to do so. PSG reportedly offered Mbappe significantly improved terms on a new contract that was more financially appealing than Madrid’s offer.
Both clubs were confident of winning the race for Mbappe, but the lack of confirmation from Mbappe’s camp, as well as his public behavior and statements in recent weeks, had left both sides in the dark.
According to reports, there is “nervousness and confusion” at Real Madrid about the Mbappe situation, as well as growing “pessimism” about completing the high-profile signing, according to sources.
The club had anticipated PSG’s late attempt to persuade the player to change his mind, but believed he would stick to his word and resist the pressure from the French club.
Kylian Mbappe was named Ligue 1 player of the year for the third time this month after leading PSG to the league title with 25 goals and 17 assists. PSG finished second in their Champions League group behind Manchester City before being eliminated in the round of 16 by Real Madrid.
Madrid has been after Kylian Mbappe for a decade, but its efforts to lure him to the Bernabeu have been rebuffed again and again.
Before signing for AS Monaco, he went on trial with the Spanish club in 2012, where he met childhood idols Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane. Mbappe was close to joining Madrid in 2017 after starring for Monaco in their run to the Champions League semifinals, but the forward instead chose to join PSG for a world record fee of €180 million.
Mbappe has 168 goals in all competitions since joining PSG, second only to Edinson Cavani on the club’s all-time scoring chart. Mbappe has four league titles with the club (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022), as well as a Champions League final appearance in 2020.
Throughout that time, he remained Madrid and club president Perez’s main target. Madrid made a series of offers for Mbappe in August 2021, the last of which was worth up to €200 million.
Later, PSG sporting director Leonardo chastised Madrid for their “lack of respect” in their pursuit of Mbappe.
While enjoying a career-best season on the field, the player was constantly questioned by media about his future plans throughout the season — and shrugged off rising pressure from PSG to commit to a lucrative renewal.
After turning down the opportunity to join Real Madrid, he will now serve as the face of PSG as he sets to enter his sixth season at PSG.
