Mbappe has told Pochettino he will NOT renew his PSG contract

Cameron Smith

Updated: 25 Jul 2021 10:50 BST
3 min read

Real Madrid transfer target Kylian Mbappe playing for PSG in Ligue 1, 2020/21 — © ProShots

According to reports in Spain, Kylian Mbappe has told head coach Mauricio Pochettino that he won't be renewing his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

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Mbappe's current deal expires in 2022, meaning he will be able to leave for free next summer, unless PSG sell him this window, or convince him to sign a new deal.

However, with his comments expressing that he won't be extending his contract, PSG have a decision to make; sell this summer, or lose him for free next year.

Having signed the forward for €145 million, plus €30m in add-ons, losing him for absolutely nothing would be a kick in the teeth for the Parisians, which means they may be inclined to sell this summer.

Real Madrid have long been linked with a move for Mbappe, and even tried to sign him when he was at Monaco, but PSG beat them to the Frenchman's signature, so it's believed they would be interested in making a move.

This news will come as a hammer blow for PSG, who have added Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum to their ranks this summer. They have been building a team capable of winning the Champions League, and this upcoming season was seen as their best chance yet.

However, if Mbappe leaves, those plans could be ruined. Having locked Neymar down to a new three-year deal in May, the hierarchy at the club had hoped Mbappe would follow suit, but that hasn't happened.

After a disappointing European Championships, Mbappe will be keen to hit the ground running in 2021/22, but that may be at a new club. According to Marca, he has revealed that he won't sign a new deal, but won't force a move away this summer.

What decision will PSG make?

Having snapped up Donnarumma, Ramos, and Wijnaldum for nothing in regards to a transfer fee this summer, PSG know the value in the free agent market, so will surely be reluctant for Mbappe to leave for free next year.

Whilst they won't be able to demand the transfer fee they would like for Mbappe, you would have to believe they'd received an offer of over €100m for the forward, which they could reinvest in the squad.

Sure, he's scored 132 goals in 177 appearances for the club, but losing him for free would be one of the worst pieces of business in recent memory.

Chelsea are considering an offer of nearly €150m for Erling Haaland this summer, so it's clear that despite the pandemic, the big clubs still have the resources to fund a move for Mbappe.

However, as one of the best players in the world, Mbappe could fire PSG to a Champions League triumph this upcoming year, and the club are far from poor, but an offer of more than €100m could be too good to turn down at this point.