The draw for the 2021-22 Champions League group stage is underway. See how Thursday’s ceremony in Istanbul unfolds below.
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Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo said Wednesday it’s clear that Kylian Mbappe “wants to leave” after the club refused a huge €160-million bid from Real Madrid, according to RMC Sport.
“Real Madrid’s official offer is very far from what we want for Kylian,” Leonardo said, The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano reports. “Yes, it’s around €160 million. It’s less than what we paid for him in 2017.”
Leonardo described Real Madrid’s approach of contacting the player without PSG’s permission as “disrespectful, incorrect, and illegal.”
PSG have executed one of the most aggressive transfer windows in the sport’s history by attracting Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, Achraf Hakimi, Danilo Pereira, and, most notably, Lionel Messi to the club. Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, and other superstars remain at the Parc des Princes.
The frenzied summer activity is designed to propel Qatari-owned PSG to their first Champions League title.
“There’s no one more competitive than us. He has no reason to do anything else (other than stay),” club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said when asked about Mbappe’s future earlier in August.
However, that isn’t enough for Mbappe. The Frenchman is in the final year of his PSG deal and has reportedly refused three new contract offers from Les Parisiens.
“I want to think about what I want to do in the coming years, where I want to be. That’s what I am reflecting on,” Mbappe said in January of his reluctance to commit to fresh terms.
Leonardo added that if Mbappe “wants to leave, we will not retain him, but he will leave or stay on our terms,” and that “the club, the project, remain above everyone.”
Mbappe, who arrived at PSG from AS Monaco in September 2017 for around €180 million, has scored 133 goals over 174 PSG appearances, scooping up three Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de Frances, and other domestic club honors in the process.
Two of Europe’s biggest clubs could be set to battle for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe’s signature in 2022.
Real Madrid have been heavily linked to the 22-year-old this summer, but the Spanish club is likely to face competition now that Manchester United have entered the picture.
The Red Devils have identified Mbappe as a future transfer target and are exploring the possibility of making a move for the French international next summer, according to ESPN’s Rob Dawson and Julien Laurens.
However, convincing Mbappe to move to Old Trafford could be difficult, considering Real Madrid are understood to be his preferred destination, Dawson and Laurens report.
The 2018 World Cup winner is expected to remain in Paris for the 2021-22 season even though he is in the final year of his contract. A team could sign Mbappe on a free transfer in a year if he doesn’t renew his current deal.
United are eager to add a center forward in 2022 to fill the gap in case Edinson Cavani leaves after his contract expires next summer, ESPN adds.
Along with Mbappe, United could also target Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, Tottenham’s Harry Kane, and Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez next year.
Real Madrid had hoped to generate funds to launch their pursuit for Mbappe this offseason, but the club has conceded that signing him before the transfer window closes at the end of August isn’t possible.
Mbappe joined PSG from AS Monaco for €180 million in 2017, and he led Ligue 1 in scoring last season with 27 goals in 31 games.