PSG start preparing for Mbappé's possible departure
In England, The Mirror reports that Pochettino has prioritised signing Harry Kane if Kylian Mbappé leaves the club next summer.
While the football waits with bated breath for what might happen this summer with Kylian Mbappé and Leo Messi, in England, reports are emerging of another factor which could completely change the domino effect expected if either one of them ends up joining a new club.
Up until now, it has been widely accepted that Messi was PSG's number one objective. Together with Manchester City, the Ligue 1 champions are the only ones who have enough economic clout to be able to afford the Barcelona ace. But according to The Mirror, it could all turn out very differently. The English daily reports that, if Mbappé leaves, Pochettino has lined up Harry Kane to replace him.
Great relationship
The Mirror claim that Pochettino and Kane remain close from their time together at Tottenham. They have remained in touch, still have an excellent professional relationship and regularly exchange text messages. City and United have also expressed an interest for the striker, but if forced to sell, Spur would rather he went abroad rather to a direct rival in the Premier League. The relationship between Pochettino and Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is also excellent, to the point where they even holidayed together on more than one occasion.
In any case, PSG's idea is to hang on to their star player and keep the partnership with Neymar intact. Nobody doubts that Mbappé is going to be one of the big stars of world football for years to come. But in spite of that, his future remains up in the air as the player himself had admitted. No decision has been made yet but luring him away from Paris won't be simple. Real Madrid, the club who he is tipped to join,would struggle to meet the player's wage demands due to the economic knock-on effects of the pandemic and hope he will wait until next year. And lurking in the shadows is Liverpool who, after a disappointing season, are looking to make changes and strengthen their attack for next year.
If true, such information might shed a little light on Messi's future. If the Argentinean decides to leave Barcelona at the end of the season, the only possible destination would be Manchester City. The Premier League leaders have pulling power which could convince La Pulga (Kun Agüero, Guardiola, a successful project, capital), but recently they have distanced themselves from the operation, saying that they have not been involved in negotiations.
It's an equation which will only be resolved with time but all the ingredients are there to create a perfect storm this summer which could see several of the world's top strikers switching clubs.