Mbappé does not soften

The future of Mbappé at PSG is shaking, once again, with intensity. When he seems to be approaching renewal with the Parisian club, he shakes himself in the direction of other teams, among which Real Madrid has a preferential space on the starting line for achieving the signing of the forward. The recent dismissal of Thomas Tuchel as PSG coach has constituted the last chapter of this soap opera, which will continue to add editions at least until next summer, when it will be clear if the white economy is capable, in times of coronavirus, of assuming an operation of this magnitude, probably the most important in the history of football.

The context is still valid: Mbappé ends his contract with PSG on June 30, 2022 and still does not give in to the French club's desire to extend that relationship, despite the salary increases that they continue to offer, even in times when the common trend is to cut salaries, not increase them. In his fourth season at PSG (who signed him from Monaco in 2017, in exchange for 180 million euros when he was only 18 years old), Mbappé assesses his options and ponders the suitability of a change to a more powerful league, such as the Spanish or English, where to be able to aspire more frequently to collective and individual titles, with the Ballon d'Or between eyebrows (in 2018, after lifting the World Cup with France, he could only be fourth).

In the midst of this volatile situation, PSG has decided to turn its 2020-21 season around by cutting its losses: it has dismissed Thomas Tuchel, that had the team third in Ligue 1 (one point from the lead) and classified as first in the group for the eighth of the Champions League, where Barcelona awaits. A surprising decision, to dismiss the coach who has brought PSG to the gates of its main goal, the European Cup, with the 2019-20 final in Lisbon. So much that his own Mbappé does not seem to have fitted in well the rudder given by Al Khelaifi and Leonardo, as he demonstrated on social networks.

“Unfortunately, it is the law of football. But no one will forget your time here. You wrote a good chapter in the history of the club, thanks coach “, wrote the forward, accompanying the text with an image of both embracing during a match. The relationship between the two was not always perfect (Mbappé publicly aired his anger after being substituted in a match against Montpellier), but Ultimately, the attacker has preferred to support Tuchel and, moreover, spoil PSG's decision.

Two poles: Pochettino and Real Madrid

In the absence of official status, PSG has chosen Mauricio Pochettino to relieve Tuchel and direct the Parisian ship for the remainder of the year and for the next few years. A move that, in principle, can be an obstacle for Madrid in its goal of taking Mbappé, as AS has already reported that the club from the capital of the neighboring country has committed to the Argentine that Kylian will continue in Paris. However, Mbappé's dart to PSG on social networks retraces the path already made; One step forward, one step back

Leonardo tried to reassure the surroundings of the Parisian club on December 6: “We have taken steps forward, we talk and he wants to talk too. We are making progress”. But the renewal still does not come and Real Madrid remains on the lookout, aware that an economic madness for Mbappé will be almost impossible in this context (revenues have fallen by about 200 million), but also that one year after the end of the contract , If the forward refuses to sign, he is in pole position to try to join him and build the Madrid of the next decade around him.