SEATTLE - It seems like it is actually happening, or at least it sounds like it. After years of endless drama, Kylian Mbappé appears to be set in his future and communicated Paris-Saint Germain's top brass that he will not return to the club for next season, leaving as a free agent once his current deal with the French team comes to an end in the Summer of 2024.
According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Mbappé communicated his wishes to PSG and they are yet to fully agree on the terms of his exit. An official announcement is expected to be made in the following months.
Since arriving to PSG in the 2017-18 season, Mbappé has dominated French soccer in ways that hadn't been seen before, winning five Ligue 1 titles and five scoring titles. With the French league conquered, it might be time for Mbappé to look for new challenges elsewhere. The only problem with finding a new club is the amount of money they would be willing to spend on Mbappé. The Parisian club is currently paying the 25-year-old around $215 million per year, an amount only a selected number of clubs in the world can afford.
Three of the reported clubs that would be willing to splash that kind of money on Mbappé are Arsenal, Liverpool and long-time pretenders Real Madrid. This is how PSG's all-time goal scorer could fit in all three clubs and his potential offensive partners.
Arsenal
A move to London would be appealing to the 25-year-old, according to The Independent, which reported that Arsenal is considering the idea of bringing Mbappé to the Premier League. If he were to join the Gunners, Mbappé would form a formidable attacking unit with the talented players already at the club.
Just last season, Arsenal had one of the best attacks in the world with Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all reaching double-figure goals in the Premier League. Between the three, they scored a 40 of Arsenal's total 88 goals in the Premier League last season, and the addition of Mbappé would just take Mikel Arteta's frontline to a whole new level.
Adding a player that can consistently deliver goals has been the missing piece in Arteta's puzzle, so a push for the global superstar would make some sense. The Frenchman is currently the top scorer in Ligue 1, with 20 goals this season. Mbappé has scored 20+ league goals in five of his last six seasons, while Arsenal haven't had a player reach 20+ league goals since the Chilean Alexis Sánchez scored 24 during the 2016-17 campaign.
Liverpool
With Jürgen Klopp departing the Anfield club by the end of the season, a move for Kylian Mbappé would seem as a step on the right direction if Liverpool wants to make a statement on its project looking forward.
Adding a player like Mbappé to Liverpool's already explosive system would be a like match made in heaven. Just this season, only Bayern Munich (59) and Manchester City (56) have scored more goals than Liverpool (55) across the top 5 European leagues. Adding Mbappé to a team that already counts with players such as Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez and Luis Díaz would certainly make the job easier for Liverpool's next manager.
The way Liverpool play would fit perfectly with Mbappe's game, allowing the Frenchman to run in behind defenses and use his powerful pace to create chaos, similar to what the Uruguayan Núñez has done since arriving to Merseyside last year.
With Salah's future with the club still uncertain, Liverpool could move for Mbappé if the Egyptian ends up leaving the club this Summer as Saudi Arabian teams are very keen in bringing Liverpool's No.11 to the popular Saudi league.
Real Madrid
Perhaps the team with the most realistic chance to land the 25-year-old once his current contract with PSG expires, Real Madrid have been flirting with Mbappé for a good number of years already. After Karim Benzema left the club for Saudi Arabia last Summer, club president Florentino Pérez has been adamant in making Mbappé his next 'galáctico' as the Spanish giants build up a new team around young talent such as Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Brazilian superstar Vinícius Júnior.
Pérez surprised last Summer by not signing a direct replacement for Benzema, maybe with the hopes of finally luring Mbappé to the Spanish capital in 2024. So far this season, Bellingham is the 'Merengues' top scorer in LaLiga with 16 goals and adding Mbappé would make them exponentially better.
He would pair up in attack with Brazilian youngsters Vini Jr. and Rodrygo, who have already shown signs of having what it takes to lead a club of the stature of Real Madrid in the most adverse situations.
Vinícius and Rodrygo have proved their quality in 'Los Blancos' favorite competition, helping Real Madrid win their 14th European Cup title in 2021-22 with clutch performances. Rodrygo has scored 18 UCL goals in his first 46 games in the competition, while Vini Jr. has scored one goal less than his countryman in 50 games, but scored the winning goal in the 2022 UCL final against Liverpool.
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