Kylian Mbappé has finally confirmed he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The France captain is out of contract at the end of the season and will play his last match at the Parc des Princes this weekend against Toulouse.
Mbappé’s future has been the source of much speculation for the past 12 months after he was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid last summer. Liverpool has held a long-standing interest in the 25-year-old, dating back to his time at Monaco.
In a clip posted to PSG fans on his social media channels, Mbappé said: “I have always said I would speak with you when the time comes, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at PSG. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.
“It is a lot of emotions. I want to thank all of the teammates I had, all of the coaches, the sports directors and all of the staff at the club. I want to thank the fans above all.
“I never thought it would be this difficult to announce I am leaving this team, this country, Ligue 1. I think I needed this new challenge after seven years. The club will remain in my heart forever.”
Real Madrid remains in pole position to sign Mbappé. BBC Sport reported back in February that the striker had agreed to move to the Bernabeu this summer, but as yet there has been no confirmation.
Mbappé met with Liverpool when he was at Monaco in 2017 and then held talks before signing a new deal with PSG two years ago. “We talked a little bit, but not too much,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
“I talked to Liverpool because it’s the favorite club of my mum, my mum loves Liverpool. I don’t know why, you will have to ask her. It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club.”
Links re-emerged last summer when it became apparent Mbappé would be leaving PSG but boss Jürgen Klopp admitted he would be surprised if a deal could be agreed. “We laugh about it,” Klopp told Sky Germany in August.
“I can say that I think he’s a really good player but the financial conditions don’t suit us at all. I wouldn’t like to ruin the story now… but as far as I know, there’s nothing to it. It’s possible that someone else from the club is preparing something and wants to surprise me… that hasn’t happened in the eight years that I’ve been here. That would be the first time.”
Klopp would of course now not get to work with Mbappé, should he make a surprise move to Liverpool. Despite him being available on a free transfer, he will still demand a significant signing-on fee and hefty wages.
Liverpool.com says: It feels as though the Mbappé transfer saga has been rumbling on for years but we are now close to a resolution. It is no surprise to hear that he is leaving PSG and it does appear that he will be on his way to the Bernabeu. The finances needed to complete the deal make it very difficult for Liverpool but could the Reds make a ploy, if Mohamed Salah is to depart?
