Yesterday, a report from Telefoot sent many Real Madrid fans into a frenzy, perhaps even bringing back their memories of August 2021 when it seemed like Kylian Mbappe would join Los Merengues, only to realize all those reports of a transfer were premature.
Telefoot’s Julien Maynard relayed that PSG and Mbappe have been in discussions regarding a short-term contract extension. There is now information from ABC Deportes claiming this offer is 40 million euros in salary per year over two years.
The idea of Mbappe signing a short-term extension is nothing new. PSG want to win a Champions League, and they know Mbappe is vital to that. But the Qatari ownership also wants Mbappe to be a PSG player for marketing purposes in the upcoming World Cup.
If Mbappe were to leave for Madrid as a free agent in June, that grand plan would be out the window. On top of all that, PSG effectively ignored Real’s 200 million euro offer to sign him last summer, and a short-term extension would prevent them from losing the world’s most valuable player for free.
Kylian Mbappe and PSG having talks could mean anything
That said, as the above report from ABC indicates, Real Madrid is not worried about these rumblings. On some level, they may not even take the reporting at face value. It could be a pressure tactic from PSG. It could be Mbappe’s camp trying to appease the fans of the club, given he recently received a death threat. (That is horrifying and shows the despicable nature of some football fans.)
But it could also be a different case entirely. “Holding talks” or any variation is quite nebulous. PSG could have sent Mbappe an offer or a request to talk, and Mbappe could have said, “I’ll think about it and respond later, please let me focus on winning trophies for you.” And boom, technically, they “talked” about this short-term extension offer.
If you are panicking about one report in the middle of January and you were confident about Mbappe to Real Madrid for months, then I want to know why this report from Telefoot has swayed you so much and uprooted this previously-held confidence. And if you are having a go at Mbappe over an anonymous report that tells us nothing of the player’s actual intentions, then you seriously need to reevaluate how you react to football news.
Most of you are like me. You have been through this song-and-dance before on the transfer rumor mill. Nobody really seems to know what’s at play here, other than the fact that Mbappe has dreamed of Real Madrid for years and has not signed an extension with just a few months left on his contract.
If Mbappe wants Real Madrid, he will come
Those basic facts point to Mbappe joining Real as almost a certainty. Almost. Because nothing is certain in football.
Instead of worrying that 1 percent of uncertainty, though, take a page out of Mbappe’s book and just focus on the football for now. Think about all the wonderful players we get to watch as Madridistas each week. Thibaut Courtois. David Alaba. Luka Modric. Toni Kroos. Vinicius Jr. Karim Benzema. These are all-timers.
This report from Telefoot has opened the door for more of these kinds of rumors, many from opportunistic “reporters” who will pray on your uncertainty. Do not feed into it. Relax, as Real are, and remember, if Mbappe truly wants Madrid, he will find a way to the Bernabeu. And if not, there is always Vinicius Jr. And Erling Haaland.