PSG ignore Real Madrid’s Mbappe deadline: What it means for the superstar

Robin Bairner

Updated: 30 Aug 2021 18:15 BST
3 min read

Real Madrid have bid €160m for PSG's Kylian Mbappe — © ProShots

The reported deadline that Real Madrid gave Paris Saint-Germain to accept their offer for striker Kylian Mbappe has passed.

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Los Blancos reportedly told PSG that they had to have accepted their €170 million plus €10m in possible bonuses by 18:00CET on Monday for a deal to proceed, yet there is no sign of an agreement having been reached.

Although there were reports earlier in the day that Real Madrid were considering raising their bid to €200m, it seems that the clubs have reached an impasse in talks.

According to TF1, RMC, Sky Sports and others, the Spanish club are set to walk away from the deal and will attempt to sign Mbappe on a pre-contract agreement in January.

Despite Real Madrid’s interest in Mbappe, the player was deployed by PSG in their 2-0 win over Reims on Sunday, a match in which Lionel Messi made his debut for the club.

Mbappe impressed in the fixture, scoring the opener with a header from an Angel Di Maria cross then sprinting to meet a low Achraf Hakimi centre after the interval when the game was still hanging in the balance.

There was no suggestion from that match that Mbappe was a player pushing desperately for a transfer away from the club.

What next for Kylian Mbappe?

https://footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/2021/08/messi-set-psg-debut-mbappe-starts

While Real Madrid appear to be upbeat about their prospects of signing Mbappe on a free transfer at the end of the season, they are likely to face greater competition from Premier League clubs, who might have been put off by his exorbitant transfer tag just a year from the end of his contract.

Although Mbappe is a Real Madrid fan, they will still need to have a viable project in place to capture the World Cup winner, who will be able to speak to the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

With Mbappe available on a free transfer, all these clubs will seek to take advantage of the situation and will be mindful that they are stronger financially than Madrid. Indeed, it has already been reported that one Premier League club enquired about him this summer.

PSG, meanwhile, are set to have three additional months in which to persuade Mbappe that their long-term project is worth committing his future to, although having turned down multiple contract offers already, it could prove a complicated task.