Despite being held to a 1-1 home draw by 10-man Lens, Paris Saint-Germain secured a record-equaling 10th Ligue 1 title on Saturday, moving level with Saint-Etienne.
Following conversations with Kylian Mbappe’s mother in Doha this week, Paris Saint-Germain are becoming increasingly optimistic about persuading the France international to sign a new deal.
Mbappe, who became the world’s most expensive teenager when he signed for more than $200 million from Monaco in 2018, is out of contract at the end of the season, with Real Madrid the frontrunners to sign him.
However, despite widespread speculation that Mbappe would join Real Madrid when his current contract expires, PSG have not given up hope of convincing him to stay.
Mbappe’s mother, Fayza Lamari, who also represents him, travelled to Qatar for the talks. She met with PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, and it is said that the meeting went well.
All parties have refuted rumours that he has already decided to join Real, who had bids of €160 million and €180 million turned down by PSG last summer despite Mbappe being in his final year of contract, putting them at risk of losing him for free.
PSG have never wavered in their efforts to persuade their forward to stay, and it is understood that they are offering the France international a two-year contract, possibly with a break clause at the end of next season, in order to keep him.
On the other hand, Real is reportedly willing to make Mbappe the highest-paid player in the club’s history, and PSG will have to at least match that offer to keep him.
It is no secret that the 23-year-old desires to play for Real Madrid one day, but PSG are encouraged by his recent public statements in which he stated that he has not yet made up his mind about his future.
The La Liga leaders, according to Spanish outlet Marca, are “absolutely calm” about the issue. They believe Mbappe will arrive at the Bernabeu this summer and will turn down PSG’s renewal proposals, regardless of how attractive it is.
Mbappe mentioned “new components” in his future, which has been misinterpreted as a sign that he is being pursued by another club. This is not considered to be the case. Instead, it’s about his discussions with PSG.
The season is nearly over, and the Frenchman will have to make a final decision on his future once the summer comes. It’s uncertain if he’ll stay or go for the time being.
PSG is willing to go to any length to persuade the France international to sign a new deal, but he remains bent on heading to Madrid, despite the advice of several close to him to stay in Paris.
If Mbappe does depart, PSG will be considerably more likely to try to recruit Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
If he decides to stay, it will be a major setback for Real Madrid and its club President Florentino Perez, especially if their second top target, Erling Haaland, joins Manchester City, as predicted by football pundits.
