Despite signing a lucrative PSG contract in the summer, reports suggest Kylian Mbappe wants to leave the Ligue 1 champions in January, with one reliable journalist explaining how the Frenchman is an admirer of Liverpool.
Mbappe was widely expected to join Real Madrid on a free transfer over the summer, only to eventually decide that he would commit his long-term future to PSG.
The deal is said to have made the France star the highest-paid player at PSG, ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, with Mbappe reportedly earning €250 million over the next three years.
After signing his contract, Mbappe revealed how he spoke to Jurgen Klopp about a possible move to Liverpool when he was weighing up his options last season.
Five months on, Mbappe is said to want out, with reports claiming he feels “betrayed” by senior figures at PSG and at odds with the club’s direction on and off the pitch.
He is expected to push for a transfer in January, with Real Madrid the obvious destination, but there are doubts as to whether Carlo Ancelotti’s would be willing to stump up a hefty transfer fee.
Liverpool are the other club that continue to be linked with Mbappe, despite their own financial restraints.
French football reporter Julien Laurens shed some light on the situation on Tuesday evening, claiming Mbappe “really liked Liverpool,” after speaking to the club last season.
“Real Madrid I think is still his preference of course,” Laurens told CBS Sports.
“I think they have the money, but would they be ready to pay that in January when they could have had him for free five months ago when he made the mistake of extending his deal at PSG, I don’t know.
“English clubs? I think he really liked Liverpool, but they can’t afford him right now. They could not pay the transfer fee and wages, let’s not forget that he’s the highest-paid footballer in the world right now.
“So there’s a lots of ‘ifs’ and a lot of numbers, but he’s certainly going to push for a move in January, so let’s see who can afford him.”
Laurens is one of a host of journalists reporting that Mbappe definitely wants to leave PSG, a bizarre situation when you consider his decision to extend his contract with the club this summer.
Any club that makes a move to sign him in January will need to smash the record for the biggest transfer in football history, with a fee of around €200 million possibly enough to bring PSG to the negotiating table.
“That he wants to leave, there’s no doubt at all. We’ve been told. It’s not just me, it’s a lot of media and a lot of people. This is definitely the reality right now,” Laurens continued.
“What can happen in January? We don’t know yet. He will cost a lot of money of course. €200 million, probably around that, maybe a little bit less.
“PSG are in a strong position in a way because he signed that three-year deal, it was two plus one, but he’s only five months into a three-year deal.
Mbappe may like the idea of a move to Anfield, but it’s simply not realistic given the money involved in a potential deal.
Any slim chance of Mbappe joining Liverpool has probably passed, with Mbappe available on a free transfer in this year’s summer transfer window.
If Liverpool couldn’t afford him then, they certainly won’t be able to afford him now!
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