Mbappé to Madrid: more revelations on transfer decision emerge

It was the night of 3 January, and Paris Saint-Germain had just been crowned champions against Toulouse in the Trophée des Champions, aka the French Super Cup. In the mixed zone, a smiling Kylian Mbappé appeared to address the media. Everyone was expecting a response regarding his future, and the forward, after carefully coordinated and controlled communication, acknowledged that he “has not yet made a decision.”

When did Mbappé decide to join Madrid?

Those words were actually a bluff, a controlled lie, as reported by L’Équipe. Mbappé had actually made the decision to leave PSG in December when, according to the newspaper, he reached a preliminary agreement with Real Madrid. The captain of the French national team did not want his future to become the central theme of the Parisians’ season, so he chose to prolong a soap opera that really had no cliffhanger, no twist, no drama at all, because the deal was already done.

A month later, just before the first leg of the round of 16 against Real Sociedad, Mbappé decided to meet with Nasser Al Khelaïfi, informing him that he would not renew with PSG and that this, his seventh season in Paris, would be his last at the club. Furthermore, he pleaded with the president not to insist because his decision had already been made for some time, as confirmed by L’Équipe on Sunday and as had been previously reported by Foot-Mercato in eariy January.

PSG preparing for life without Mbappé

Now, it’s just a matter of putting the final touch on a relationship that has lasted for seven years and which, at least up until this season, has not been able to culminate in a Champions League victory. Meanwhile, manager Luis Enrique is already preparing for his departure, substituting him on Sunday against Rennes when PSG was losing 0-1.

This decision, which was unimaginable weeks ago, to remove the best player from the squad when things are going against you, is part of the roadmap for the Spanish coach, who wants to shape a team without the presence of the French international.

“Sooner or later, this is going to happen. We have to get used to playing without Kylian. When? When I deem it appropriate, he will play; and when not, he won’t. This happens with all coaches,” said the former Spanish national team coach. PSG enters a new era after Mbappé's departure, as he will try to deliver one final offering, despite the boos from the stands, by winning the Champions League, before moving to Real Madrid in June.