PSG live these days with some nervousness waiting for a final move from Madrid by Mbappé. Times have changed and now Florentino, the architect of that galactic succession of Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo and Beckham, is fighting against a different soccer power, the one wielded by the state clubs. But in the case of Mbappé, the president has the best possible weapon, the will of the player. However, this new change of order forces him to draw more long-term strategies and measures. It happened like this in the case of Hazard (although the injuries buried that new galactic illusion), and now the club maintains hope with Mbappé until the last market day.
In fact, this Monday Le Parisien reports that Mbappé has already assumed that this will be, except for surprise, his last season in the Parisian team. The decision not to renew is firm and not all the money in the world can change your mind.
Meanwhile, The ball is now in the court of Al-Khelaïfi, who has to decide whether to prioritize the pride of not letting him out to lose him for free in 2022 or agree to negotiate to get, at least, a profit of 150 million euros for one of the project stars. Letting Mbappé go free may be one of the few mistakes the sheikh has made in his ten years in office.
Mbappé, meanwhile, will be available on Saturday at PSG's debut against Troyes in Ligue 1. Yesterday, Pochettino could not confirm his presence during the Super Cup against Lille, but everything indicates that the Frenchman will start the Saturday what may be his last season with PSG, unless he leaves before the end of this market.
Kylian Mbappé's advanced stats.
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Madrid's plan
Madrid's plan continues its course. There are fait accompli. First, Mbappé himself said at PSG, when the Eurocup ended that he did not plan to renew, although, in order not to force, he assumed that he would have to play one more year until his contract expired. Later, the player sent the same message to his coach.
Madrid was confident that PSG would be squeezed by the Financial Fair Play. It had reports that the French entity has to sell players worth 150 million to balance the accounts. But the context does not favor white interests. The general drop in revenue from the pandemic has forced UEFA to open its hand. Even more so with PSG, which did not join the great project of the European Super League at the beginning.
LaLiga Santander
* Data updated as of August 1, 2021
As AS has learned from sources close to Mbappé, the player begins to feel the pressure. He has received very important criticism in his country after France fell in the European Championship and he feels that it is he who is carrying most of the burden of the operation. He even hoped that Madrid would exert more pressure on PSG to make Qatari property see reason: the player wants to go to Madrid, Madrid has patiently awaited his moment being loyal and not negotiating with his player at the wrong time, otherwise, the star will go free … But, even so, with the arguments very in his favor, everything is left to the will of PSG to negotiate a price.
For now the player remains firm in the plan outlined. That is vital. It does it for two reasons. First of all, because you know that you actually have all the options open and that you can renew at any time (even once the season has started). And, secondly, because signing for Madrid being free will fill your pocket (if the Alaba family collected more than 20 million transfer premium …). And despite that Mbappé trusts that everything is fixed this same summer. Like Madrid, which prefers to pay a large transfer to risk not signing the one who should be the galactic of the next decade.