Paris Saint-Germain may not be able to fund summer moves for Lionel Messi or Sergio Ramos if they hand Kylian Mbappe a new contract, which opens up the possibility of the French superstar moving on. Real Madrid is his most likely destination, but Liverpool are once again being linked.
Mbappe has entered the final 18 months of his current PSG contract and one way or another his future will be decided this summer. The player himself has openly admitted he is still weighing things up and is yet to make a decision over whether he commits or moves on.
"We are in discussions with the club to try to find a suitable project. I said I was thinking about it because I think that...if I sign it would have to be a long-term commitment to Paris Saint-Germain," Mbappe explained in a recent interview in France.
While stressing he is ‘very happy’ at PSG, he added: "I don't want to sign a contract and say a year later that I want to leave. If I sign it is to stay and that deserves time to reflect on my decision."
PSG are thought to be close to agreeing a new contract with Neymar, who has stated that he wants Mbappe to stay with him at Parc des Princes. But, not for the first time, it has been rumoured that the younger of the pair could be sacrificed for Messi and/or other superstars.
Br azilian journalist Marcelo Bechler, known for his exclusives on Neymar, told Spanish radio show El Partizado de COPE: "A renewal for Mbappe would prevent a great signing for PSG this summer. Selling Mbappe is the fuel that PSG would have to try to sign Messi, Ramos...or both."
Real Madrid have a plan in place to land Mbappe this year, even though the coronavirus pandemic has seen their finances take a massive hit.
Los Blancos hope to raise between €100m and €150m in transfer budget by selling a host of surplus players, including Gareth Bale, Marcelo, Isco, Luka Jovic, Brahim Diaz and Dani Ceballos. Any additional funds needed would be financed by a loan.
As a result of getting several higher earners off the wage bill in the process and with the hope that next season will bring revenue increase if fans can return to the Bernabeu, it is said that Mbappe’s expected net salary demands of €21m per season would not be an issue.
Even though Jurgen Klopp once said that Liverpool have ‘absolutely no chance’ of signing Mbappe because of the likely figures involved, the Reds are never far away from the headlines whenever the player’s future is the subject of transfer speculation.
The Liverpool Echo has fuelled the latest round of Mbappe to Anfield gossip by suggesting that Nike could play a role in any approach. Much is made of Mbappe being closely aligned with NBA icon and fellow Nike athlete LeBron James, having swapped profile pictures on Instagram recently. James is of course also a minor shareholder in Liverpool after purchasing a stake for £4.7m in 2011.
Nike already partnered with PSG and have taken the club’s brand beyond football and into fashion, but the Liverpool partnership that began in 2020 is already tremendously lucrative.
Whether it could ever translate into Liverpool actually taking Mbappe to Anfield, only time will tell.