Kylian Mbappé earthquake in Paris... as Real Madrid await aftershock

It looked like it was just going to be another tranquil Monday in Paris, with beautiful sunshine and a gentle breeze. However, around 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon, there was a volcanic eruption, in the footballing terrain, at least. Kylian Mbappé, using email as his medium, conveyed his decision to the club: he would not be extending his contract to 2025. This unexpected announcement created a stir and reopened a wound that seemed to have healed a year ago. Back then, an exuberant Al Khelaïfi had announced to the Parc des Princes that Bondy’s talented player had agreed to extend his contract until that date.

Mbappé early notice for PSG end

However, that initial announcement of a three-year extension was more of a gentlemen’s agreement between the club president and Mbappé. The truth was that the forward had not truly renewed until 2025; instead, his contract was extended until 2024 with the option for an additional year. The clause stipulated that he had until July 31 to exercise the option if he wished to complete his third year in the French capital. For months, indications pointed towards a non-renewal, and it was officially confirmed on Monday when the player sent a letter to the club’s headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt.

PSG, caught off guard by the early notice, was stunned by the news. In fact, according to the New York Times, the French institution learned of Mbappé's decision not to renew until 2025 from the press, specifically from L’Équipe. In Doha, patience had run out. The concessions and interventions made by the Emir during the negotiations in 2022, including involvement with Emmanuel Macron, would not be repeated under any circumstances.

In 2023, the landscape is vastly different from that of 2021. Firstly, PSG no longer leaks to the press that their star player is ‘non-transferable’. Previously, Al Khelaïfi boldly declared in an interview with L’Équipe that Mbappé “would not leave for free or be sold.” Those words, considered a threat by the player’s camp, turned out to be true as the president managed to secure the signature of the French international in May 2022, with the Parc des Princes brimming with excitement.

Secondly, the timing is significant. In 2021, Mbappé informed PSG of his desire to depart in August, just a month before the transfer window closed and when the season was already underway. Two years later, the young talent from Bondy has preempted the situation by providing early notice to the club, allowing them time to make a decision. Either they sell him now or he will become a free agent in 2024, but what remains crystal clear is that he will not be renewing his contract.

The upcoming weeks are expected to be crucial in bringing closure to a chapter that seems to generate new episodes each year. Since his contract renewal in 2022, Mbappé's discontent has been an ongoing issue. It began with the ‘Penalty-Gate’ involving Neymar in August, followed by his threat of departure in October 2022, and culminating in his Instagram story entitled #PivotGang, a sarcastic message directed at Al Khelaïfi for failing to sign a reliable number 9, which would have granted him greater freedom on the field.

This ongoing saga has left Doha exasperated, with the possibility of selling Mbappé in the current transfer market now being considered. Madrid had planned for 2024... but the aftershocks of this latest announcement could change the lie of the land.