Kylian Mbappe insists he is happy to remain at Paris Saint-Germain next season despite informing the French heavyweights he will not be extending his contract.
As it stands, the 24-year-old is set to be out of contract at the Parc des Princes next summer after opting against triggering a 12-month extension that was included in the mouthwatering contract he penned in May 2022.
The Frenchman's decision comes just days after Real Madrid waved goodbye to the long-serving Karim Benzema, who became the latest player to join the Saudi Pro League after agreeing to mutually terminate the final year of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“I didn’t ask to leave PSG or to join Real Madrid. I just told the club that I won’t activate the option to extend the contract until June 2025”, said Mbappe, breaking his silence on Tuesday. “We never discussed new deal with PSG but I’m happy to stay here next season."
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As a result of the finances that any deal for Mbappe would require, Real Madrid and Manchester United are two of the sides that have been linked with a move for the forward, who claims to have written to PSG officials last summer to inform them of his decision
In previous times, the France captain had been linked with a sensational move to Anfield and even revealed in an interview with The Telegraph last summer that he held talks with the Reds.
“I talked to Liverpool because it’s the favourite club of my mum, my mum loves Liverpool. I don’t know why, you will have to ask her!" said the Frenchman in May 2022. “It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club.”
According to the Mirror, Tottenham Hotspur captain Harry Kane's representatives held a 'secret transfer meeting' with PSG officials last month prior to Mbappe's bombshell decision. The 29-year-old is also out of contract next summer and it has been speculated that he could leave the club as he bids to win the first piece of silverware of his career.
Manchester United have also been linked with a move for Kane, with Erik Ten Hag's decision to sign Wout Weghorst on loan not paying off during his six-month stint at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, Manchester City are reportedly holding firm in their valuation of Riyad Mahrez despite interest from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. According to Fabrizio Romano, Pep Guardiola's side will demand a fee for the 32-year-old, who has two years left on his deal at Etihad Stadium.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Arsenal are closing in on a deal for West Ham United captain Declan Rice, with a total package in the excess of £100m expected to be agreed between both sides in the coming days, according to the Guardian.
Rice, 24, recently captained West Ham to Conference League glory as they defeated Serie A outfit Fiorentina at the Fortuna Arena. After the victory, chairman David Sullivan admitted in an interview with talkSPORT that he expects the midfielder to leave the Olympic Stadium this summer as a result of interest from Bayern Munich and Arsenal.
Closer to home, meanwhile, there has been a possible hint over Caoimhin Kelleher's future. Brentford's technical director, Lee Dykes, believes Kelleher has been "in the shadows a little at Liverpool" in recent times as speculation continues to surround the Republic of Ireland international's Anfield future.
The 24-year-old has cemented himself as an adequate deputy for the indispensable Alisson Becker at Anfield. But after just four senior appearances over the course of the 2022/23 season, Kelleher has been heavily linked with a summer move away from Merseyside.
Brentford, along with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion, have been linked with a potential bid for the shot-stopper, who Jurgen Klopp last month insisted it would take an "extraordinary offer" to prise away from the club this summer.
Speaking on the Beautiful Game Podcast, Dykes heaped praise on Liverpool's No.62 but insisted he has not played enough games for the Reds in recent years despite his Carabao Cup-winning heroics in February 2022. “Kelleher is a good goalkeeper," said Dykes. "There is no doubt in that. He is a good goalkeeper. He has not played a lot of games obviously, he has been in the shadows a little bit at Liverpool.”
It is expected that Thomas Frank's side will be in the market for a goalkeeper this summer with the London Standard reporting that current No.1 David Raya is on the brink of a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.
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