Life comes at you fast. Less than five months after Kylian Mbappé signed a massive contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain, the superstar forward has announced his desire to leave the club. He plans to find a new club to join during the January 2023 transfer window.
PSG has no plans to let Mbappé walk any time soon. The club remains focused on its 2022-23 UEFA Champions League campaign. Nevertheless, they remain open to accepting a “massive offer” down the road under the right circumstances.
PSG unconcerned by reports Kylian Mbappe has a “broken relationship” with the club. They don’t see him leaving mid-season due to focus on winning #UCL. There is an acceptance that a massive offer would be considered if right for the club. But a January exit is being played down.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) October 11, 2022
Analyzing the Gap Between the Two Parties
The Mbappé/PSG divorce news came as a bit of a surprise to soccer fans across the world. PSG has gotten off to a strong start to their season as they are atop Group H in the UCL. They have picked up two wins, one draw and zero losses in their three group-stage matches so far.
Mbappé’s frustrations have come from what he sees as a smaller role than he anticipated. When he signed on to stay with PSG through 2025, many saw him as the team’s new centerpiece in the years to come. However, the forward believes that his current position within the team does not reflect the expectations set in his extension.
Reports have indicated Mbappé feels “betrayed” by PSG and believes he has a “broken relationship” with the team. The club, on the other hand, believes that the forward wants to put pressure on them prior to the January transfer window.
The odds that PSG lets go of Mbappé next January remain slim. Even if they decide to let him go, the club will likely demand a hefty sum from whatever team acquires him. With all that said, this will still be a storyline to keep an eye on in the coming months.
Mbappé nearly joined Real Madrid last May before he signed back on with PSG, and plenty of other top-tier clubs will do their due diligence on the superstar’s availability as well. This could easily turn into one of the biggest soccer stories of the decade in due time. For now, the soccer world awaits PSG’s next move in this growing saga.