Di Maria: PSG players have not tried to get Mbappe to stay
Martin Macdonald
- 27 Nov 2021 12:45 GMT
- 3 min read
Angel Di Maria has confirmed that Kylian Mbappe's team-mates at Paris Saint-Germain have not attempted to convince the World Cup winner to remain at the club.
Mbappe's contract with PSG expires in the summer of 2022 and will be free to talk to other clubs about a potential free transfer as early as this January.
It is widely expected that he will join Real Madrid, as Los Blancos tried and failed to sign him on deadline day after tabling a staggering €200 million offer.
At the moment, Mbappe is refusing to sign a new contract and it seems almost inevitable now that he will leave.
TRENDING
And, it doesn't look like he'll face much opposition from his team-mates either, who at the moment are respect whatever decision he makes.
“No, the reality is that this kind of thing is a personal decision," Di Maria said when asked if he and others have attempted to encourage Mbappe to remain in Paris.
"Kylian knows what direction he wants to give to his life, to his playing career.
"Obviously, we would like to tell him to renew, not to leave, but they are personal decisions.
"It is a gift to have the opportunity to play with him. We know that any ball that we put deep into him is going to be used to score. It is really impressive. The connection I have had with him is really good and to be able to play with players like that is extraordinary."
Why does Mbappe want to leave PSG?
A new era at Real Madrid
Real Madrid are one of the game’s great clubs but are in the midst of a downer presently. Financially, they are stretched, with their team not a shadow of what they once were. Indeed, they are coming off a season in which they failed to win a single trophy.
Equally, though, they are heading to the renovated Bernabeu, which promises to be one of the glittering arenas of the game.
It would be no surprise if Mbappe feels that he could be the player to lift the club back towards its former level and be remembered as an icon of this effectively new arena.
History
Forget the record number of Champions Leagues that Real Madrid have won compared to PSG, what attracts Mbappe to Real Madrid is the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his great hero Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has supported the club since he was a boy, when he idolised Ronaldo, who at that time turned out for Los Blancos.
Mbappe seems destined to play at Real Madrid for this reason, but while it is doubtful that it will be this season, it could certainly be next.
