Kylian Mbappé will depart Paris Saint-Germain after his contract ends. Liverpool has long been interested in the Frenchman, but Real Madrid is currently in pole position.
Kylian Mbappé has officially stated that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The France captain’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he will play his final match at the Parc des Princes this weekend against Toulouse.
Mbappé’s future has been the subject of much debate over the previous year, as he was strongly connected with a move to Real Madrid last summer. Liverpool has had a long-standing interest in the 25-year-old, going back to his time at Monaco.
In a video uploaded to PSG fans on his social media platforms, Mbappé stated: “I have always said I would talk with you when the time comes, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it is my last year at PSG. I won’t extend, and the experience will conclude in a few weeks.
“There are a lot of feelings. I’d like to thank all of my teammates, coaches, sports directors, and personnel at the club. First and foremost, I’d like to thank the fans.
“I never imagined it would be so painful to declare that I am leaving this squad, this country, and Ligue 1. I believe I needed a fresh challenge after seven years. The club will be in my heart forever.”
Real Madrid remained in pole position to sign Mbappe. BBC Sport reported in February that the striker had agreed to transfer to the Bernabeu this summer, but there has been no confirmation.
Mbappé met with Liverpool while at Monaco in 2017 and then held talks before signing a new contract with PSG two years ago. “We talked a little bit, but not too much,” he explained to The Daily Telegraph.
“I talked to Liverpool since it is my mother’s favorite club; she adores Liverpool. I’m not sure why; you’ll have to ask her. It’s a good club; we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco, I met them. “It’s a huge club.”
Links resurfaced last summer when it became clear Mbappé would be leaving PSG, but manager Jürgen Klopp said he would be shocked if a deal could be reached. “We laugh about it,” Klopp told Sky Deutschland in August.
“I think he’s a great talented player, but the financial parameters don’t work for us at all. I don’t want to spoil the tale now, but as far as I know, there’s nothing to it. It’s possible that someone else in the club is arranging something to surprise me, which hasn’t happened in the eight years I’ve been here. “That would be the first time.”
If Mbappé makes a surprise move to Liverpool, Klopp will no longer have the opportunity to work with him. Despite being available on a free transfer, he will expect a large signing-on fee and high salaries.
