.jpg){kind=link}
The long-running Kylian Mbappe saga is set to come to an end this summer, with the striker telling PSG he plans to depart the French champions.
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 25-year-old will exit as a free agent when his contract expires, bringing to an end a spell of seven seasons in Paris.
The striker has won Ligue 1 five times, and is likely to win it for a sixth time this term with PSG 11 points clear at the top of the table.
The Champions League however has so far evaded him; PSG reached the final in 2020, suffering defeat to Bayern Munich with a star-studded line-up including Lionel Messi and Neymar alongside Mbappe.
Embed from Getty ImagesMessi and Neymar both departed the French club last summer, and Mbappe’s departure will signal the end of their Galácticos era, with the club likely to focus on young homegrown talent for the future, alongside one marquee signing to replace Mbappe.
Real Madrid holds long-term interest in signing Mbappe, but the Frenchman would have to take a pay-cut if he is to move to the Spanish capital, with Real’s current offer significantly lower than the €130m signing bonus and €26m per year salary they offered him in 2022.
Embed from Getty ImagesEarlier this week it was reported that the forward would be open to a move to the Premier League, specifically to either Arsenal or Liverpool.
Liverpool previously showed interest in Mbappe in 2017 before he completed his move from Monaco to the French capital, while the striker is reportedly attracted to Arsenal because of the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Thierry Henry, who left Monaco for the Gunners via a brief spell at Juventus.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, neither club would be prepared to come close to meeting his financial demands; he currently earns around £1.2m per week in wages, without bonuses included, and would also ask for a large signing bonus.
A move to Real Madrid remains the most likely outcome, with the World Cup winner having dreamed of a move to Los Blancos since he was a young boy.
Image Credit: Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons