Kylian Mbappe transfer: Why PSG might still have a chance to keep France’s biggest star

Nearly one month on from their disastrous UEFA Champions League round of 16 exit at the hands of Real Madrid there has still been no announcement from Paris Saint-Germain or Kylian Mbappe regarding the France international’s future. The 23-year-old even spoke of “new elements” over the weekend which could influence his final decision.

What might those “new elements” be? If it was simply a question of money, Mbappe would have likely already extended his Parc des Princes deal by now and would still be extremely well-paid even if he decided to join Real Madrid as a free agent this summer through a combination of salary and signing-on fee.

For his part, the former AS Monaco man has always insisted that the sporting project is a key consideration in his future. Mbappe also has his image and personal brand to consider which might now be factoring into his thinking after a recent incident on international duty with France which saw him refuse to fulfil media obligations with betting and fast-food sponsors.

Winamax were the latest betting company to provoke the ire of PSG’s No. 7 with an ill-humored tweet about the player’s father last week. His mother has also vocally supported her son’s pursuit of greater marketing responsibility when it comes to current topics such as gambling and healthy eating.

One card the Ligue 1 giants can certainly play with Mbappe in the hope of getting him to stay on in the French capital for a while longer is giving him greater power over how his image is used by the club. PSG are one of the leading lights in the soccer world when it comes to varied and groundbreaking commercial deals.

Craving even more coverage of the world’s game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.  

The sort of legacy the man from Bondy leaves with his hometown club has already been discussed in the aftermath of Les Parisiens’ latest Champions League failure. However, it will need at least another year if he wants to leave the sort of mark that others such as Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have left before him with only the Uruguayan ahead of him in the scoring charts.

Less discussed with regards to Mbappe’s future has been the 2024 Olympics in Paris which offers him the opportunity to end his time in his home country with a potential soccer gold medal with hosts Les Bleus. He has made no secret of his desire to win at the Games and was keen to be involved in Tokyo before COVID-19 nearly resulted in no French representation.

There is also the Ligue 1 angle with the next two years crucial to the French game’s hopes of domestic development and safeguarding its UEFA future as reforms arrive in 2024. The Professional Football League (LFP) has just orchestrated a bailout package through CVC Capital Partners and Mbappe will be key to any push for improved domestic and international television rights.

On Real, even though they advanced past PSG in the Champions League, the two-legged affair will have spelled out to the Frenchman just how much of a facelift the Spanish giants need. His potential signing might impair Los Blancos’ ability to immediately restructure the team around him while he already is the undisputed top dog in Paris on the pitch ahead of Neymar and Lionel Messi.

French reports have varied from Mbappe agreeing a new deal to be announced in May to an unidentified new suitor emerging to challenge PSG and Real for his signature. Liverpool have been linked with him in the recent past and Premier League money makes an English proposal possible, but whoever it might be will start from a long way behind their rivals — perhaps too far.

Regardless of how PSG’s season has petered out and how sweeping changes are expected this summer from the Qatar-backed club, Mbappe remains the club’s shining light on and off the pitch and any potential new deal will reflect that. It could be that staying on for another year or two makes the most sense personally and professionally before taking his talents outside of France.