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Here we go… yet again!
The latest iteration of the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga soap opera has once again caused a massive stir in European football and the stakes have never been higher in terms of the sheer monetary value and the possible shift in the cultural paradigm involved in the potential move of French football’s crown jewel away from the Parisian capital city club of PSG in the ongoing transfer window.
With Ligue 1 champions, PSG still reeling from the disbelief of the seemingly plausible move of the 24-year-old French poster boy swapping their blue kit for a drip of a different dye, admirers of the World Cup-winning wunderkind close in on the opportunity to sign the most valuable asset in modern-day football.
The Parisian club’s sense of concern over a future devoid of Mbappe as soon as the upcoming season became their primary order of business when the star man expressed his intention to see out his existing contract when talks of an extension surfaced.
PSG moved heaven and earth just over a year ago to retain the imagery of the top-billed football superstar of the time as they fought off stiff competition from Spanish giants Real Madrid to hold on to the man from the Parisian suburbs. With a contract that practically gave Mbappe the green light to enforce his will at the French champions and a big fat pay cheque that promised to enrich the coffers of the Mbappe household week after week and a good word from the highest French governmental office, PSG managed to convince Mbappe to delight the Parc des Princes with a contract renewal in style in front of a screaming Parisian populace.
This was a huge boost to the ego of the Qatari owners of the French club who wouldn’t have taken kindly to the loss of their superstar striker especially during a World Cup year. And not just any odd World Cup, but the first-ever FIFA showpiece to take place in the middle east. But, ultimately Mbappe stayed and Qatari upper echelons were chuffed.
The Qataris will always hold the honour of being the land where the legendary Argentine Lionel Messi, who was also a PSG player then, lifted his ultimate crowing moment as he lifted the World Cup high up in the air clad in a traditional Bisht in a snapshot of a destiny fulfilled.
Things seemed all hunky-dory in the French capital city club following the World Cup that reinforced the immeasurable quality of Mbappe’s footballing ability despite a failed title defence, as France went down to Argentine in a thriller of a contest that saw Mbappe make Argentine keeper Emi Martinez pick the ball out of the net multiple times.
But, cracks in the PSG ship started resurfacing as the club exit the illustrious UEFA Champions League early yet again. The reverence the Parisian ultras had towards their superstars seemed to vanish following another continental campaign of abysmal showing.
Messi and Neymar were boo-ed and jeered, but Mbappe was rather venerated for his lone fight in the tournament which satisfied the PSG faithful. As Messi became increasingly disillusioned with life in Paris and news of his departure broke, the French champions faced a transition period they thought would be eased in thanks to the credibilities of the French wonder boy.
But, the machine came to a grinding halt as Mbappe expressed that he wasn’t in the mind to pen an extension and that he desires to see out his existing agreement, possibly before seeking pastures anew at the culmination of PSG tenure.
However, this would mean that PSG would suffer the unthinkable event of losing their most prized possession on a free transfer and that doesn’t sit right with the club management. And hence, the Ligue 1 champions gave Mbappe the ultimatum to either pen an extension with the club or leave in the current transfer window, so as to make money off possibly the biggest transfer in the history of the sport, at the very least.
With clubs clamouring at the opportunity to snap up the 24-year-old, PSG reportedly presented the player with a whopping 10-year contract that would pocket the French skipper a hitherto unheard-of 1 Billion Euros. And apparently, the green flag for the offer came down from the Qatari royal family.
PSG are also under the impression that Mbappe already has an agreement with Real Madrid to join the ranks of the prestigious Los Blancos when his contract runs out at the end of the upcoming season of European football.
The Parisians find it difficult to digest the fact that they could part ways with Mbappe just over a year after his massive gesture of holding up a club jersey with ‘2025’ plastered across the back to denote the extent of his stay.
However, the fine print in the contract Mbappe signed last year had a clause to the effect of an option to extend a two-year stay (ending in 2024) into three years, and Mbappe chose not to exercise the option to extend, to the sheer dismay of the club who have spent a fortune to keep the brightest potential in world football cheerful.
Saudi Dream
The massively expanding Saudi Pro League project has also reportedly received orders from the monarchy in place in the oil-rich nation of Saudi Arabia to try and entice the 24-year-old to join the ambitious project.
With multiple big names such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino, Kalidou Koulibaly and so on, following the trial blazed by Cristiano Ronaldo a couple of months earlier to join the Saudi Arabian project, the middle eastern nation which invested heavily in the diversification of its name and funds into multiple streams dreams of bringing the French man to assert their relevance in the realms of European football.
Saudi Arabia have taken to the practice of clearing the undesirable humanitarian record historically associated with the nation. From breathtaking structures such as the futuristic NEOM and other architectural marvels to exploit the vastly profitable tourism industry to leveraging the global appeal of sport, the kingdom has undertaken multiple projects to wash its reputation on the global front.
The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund pulled off a masterstroke with their move to acquire majority shares in the traditional English club Newcastle United. And have worked wonders since appointing Eddie Howe as the head coach, which paid dividends as the toons secured their place in the upcoming edition of the UEFA Champions League after a prolonged wait of two decades.
As far-fetched as it sounds, given the aspirations of the oil-rich nation, the top brass would grab on to even the slimmest glimmer of hope of landing the most prized possession in world football, as the middle eastern nations seem to be entangled in a bicep-measuring contest through the use of various proxies.
Papa Perez
There are very few players who can’t resist the call of the most decorated team in the history of European continental football, Real Madrid. The Spanish capital city club still remains the dream destination for a generation of footballers, who grew up idolising the Los Merengues,
However, the man given the credit for the good, the bad and the ugly portions of the task of running the glorious Madrid club, Florentino Perez, was handed a huge hit to his massive ego when Mbappe chose to put pen on paper carrying the Parisian club’s logo after stringing along the Spanish club, thereby securing an even bigger paycheck in the process.
Madrid have also managed to bring in English starlet Jude Bellingham and Turkish Arda Guler to a team already stacked with the talents of Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelian Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, in addition to the experienced Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in the heart of the park. Carlo Ancelotti has also added Spanish striker Joselu to his ranks, but the addition of Mbappe could make the unit nearly invincible in the eyes of the hapless opponents, and carry forward the lofty legacy of the Madrid club that has been preserved by years of success.
There was talk of Perez being absolutely done with Mbappe after the previous summer window, but time might have healed the wounds left by Mbappe on the psyche of Real Madrid’s numero uno, or the 76-year-old would have come to terms with things done and dusted to concentrate on reinforcing his Galacticos with the French forward to carry on the legacy he has fought so hard to create at Madrid. Either way Perez sands to benefit if Mbappe does end up at Madrid at the end of the transfer window.
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