Since the summer transfer window opened, Real Madrid fans were waiting until August and we’re here. Why the wait? Several sources (both trustworthy and not) have reported that the club will be making moves for Kylian Mbappe during this month and yet again, hope was given to many Madridistas regarding the arrival of a player they have spent years dreaming about. Will it happen? We still don’t know. However, that’s not to say that Paris Saint-Germain do not have good reasons to go forward with the sale.
Contract Negotiations
Would you really want to let your prized asset leave for free in one year instead of getting a very fair amount of money for him now? That’s the question that the French club will have to answer. It is no secret that Mbappe has made his choice which is to move to Real Madrid but it’s not his choice as of right now due to the fact that he’s under contract. He has reportedly also made it clear to the board that he has chosen to leave even though he will not force a move out due to the respect he has for them. Therefore, PSG now have a choice: Let him leave for a fee of approximately 150 million Euros or risk losing him for free next season.
This isn’t an easy choice for the simple fact that we’re talking about Mbappe and another year at the club would mean that he has at least another six months (until he can freely speak to other clubs without PSG’s approval) to still renew his contract. He’s human and humans change their minds frequently. That could be something that the club’s board will bank on. It’s not worth the risk though because of the incredible signings that they have made so far.
PSG’s New Arrivals
PSG have been busy so far during the summer transfer window as they continue to do their best to cement their name amongst the elite. They have finalized some extremely high-profile signings throughout the past couple of months and they’re not done yet. So far, the French club have signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Georgino Wijnaldum, and former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. In addition, there is a very real chance that they’ll add yet another free transfer to the mix in Lionel Messi after a bombshell was dropped that he will not be renewing his contract with Barcelona.
Where does that leave Mbappe? He’s definitely more than good enough to be amongst the biggest of names but we need to look at this from a financial point of view. The Frenchman is receiving around 20 million a year pre-tax, according to reports, and his departure would bring down the club’s wage bill significantly, which is something they will need to do if Messi does in fact arrive.
The owners at PSG are businessmen and they know that even though they are technically able to afford keeping Mbappe with the potential arrival of Messi, they also will know that as an organization, they will definitely be under some threat sooner or later. It’s not worth the risk especially with a team fighting to cement their name as one of the top clubs in Europe.
Financial Fair Play And A Strong Enough Squad
It’s not a secret that some clubs get more favorable treatment from UEFA with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and hypothetically, even if PSG is one of those clubs, it will be extremely difficult to shy away from getting consequences when you have the players that you have in the roster who all earn extremely high wages.
You have Mbappe for another year. Bringing in Messi and letting Mbappe leave will keep you fairly secure financially while you don’t really lose too much. With or without both or either of those players, PSG are strong enough to win the Ligue 1 – they were also good enough last season but failed to win a must-win cup but this time around, no one will be good enough to get ahead of them in the league especially with the incredible squad depth they will have available to them. That then takes us to their main goal for the upcoming season: the UEFA Champions League.
The Champions League is the reason behind all this investment into the club and it’s the main goal for the upcoming season. Having Mbappe in this squad does make you better but losing him does not break you. Why? Because you already have a team that’s good enough and more importantly, financially secure. Whether they win the UCL or lose it, I don’t see any way that Mbappe doesn’t leave the club next summer unless Real Madrid shift their focus elsewhere (which will not happen either). Sell him now, get money, reduce your wage bill and still have a team more than strong enough to compete for all available titles. On paper, this move is a no-brainer.
Kylian Mbappe Wants to Leave
This is more important than possibly anything else. Kylian Mbappe does have massive respect for PSG and what they have done for him but that does not mean that the player does not want to leave. He sees his future in Real Madrid and the only reasons that he is not being more vocal about it are because of the respect he has for his current club and because he knows that he’s under contract. He knows that any move right now will need to be approved by the club and when all is said and done, he’s okay staying for another year before completing his dream move.
However, PSG will need to act fast, and other than the financial benefits of selling him now which were explained earlier, there is another question to be asked: Is it worth keeping a player who is not fully happy to be there? My answer to that has always been no, even if that player is Mbappe. This is not me saying no because I would obviously like to see Mbappe play in the Spanish capital. It’s just a hard refusal from my side just like it was when Cristiano Ronaldo wanted to leave and more recently when Raphael Varane wanted to move away for a new challenge as well. There is never a good reason to keep an unhappy player no matter how unhappy he is.
The time has come for PSG to act and make their move towards sending Mbappe to his dream club. They will have to act fast with the transfer deadline approaching at the end of this month. Will a deal be finalized? It’s still very soon to tell but if it will happen, it’s going to happen soon and very quickly.