Kylian Mbappe has told Paris Saint-Germain he will leave the club at the end of the season. The France international informed PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi he would not stay at the club when his contract expires, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity because Mbappe hasn’t made his decision public yet.
One person said Mbappe — who has previously been pursued by Real Madrid — did not indicate which club he would join next.
PSG declined to comment, but a second person with knowledge of Mbappe’s decision said the terms of his departure were still being worked out with the club and an official statement would not come until that has been finalized.
_ Highlights of the Parisian victory _ Real Sociedad! (2-0)
Goals from @KMbappe and Bradley Barcola in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 __#PSGRSO | #UCL pic.twitter.com/1flgydlnhC— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) February 15, 2024
Mbappe — widely considered to be one of the best players in the world — will be a free agent at the end of the season after seven years with PSG.
He informed the club last year that he would not trigger an extension to the contract he signed in 2022.
When he signed that last deal, PSG paraded him at Parc des Princes holding up a jersey with 2025 written on it — even though the actual contract was until 2024, with an option for an extra year. That episode reportedly irked Mbappe, who then also felt let down by the club for failing to sign enough top-class players — other than Lionel Messi — after they pledged to do when he penned the deal.
While Madrid seems like the most probable destination for Mbappe, his departure from PSG is likely to spark a bidding war between a host of other clubs eager to sign the former World Cup winner.
The 25-year-old Mbappe has been at PSG since 2017 after signing from Monaco in a transfer worth a reported $190 million. He arrived at the same time as Neymar, who cost PSG a world record $222 million from Barcelona.
In 2021, PSG turned down a bid of $190 million from Real Madrid for the forward, who went on to sign his current contract the following year.
Mbappe will be the latest superstar player to leave the French club in recent times following the departures of Messi and Neymar last year. The glittering attacking trio played together for two seasons yet couldn’t even reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League as PSG was eliminated at the last-16 stage both years, first by Real Madrid and then Bayern Munich.
Mbappe won five French league titles with PSG, but has so far failed to lead it to success in the Champions League. When PSG reached the final in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, it lost 1–0 to Bayern as Mbappe and Neymar both failed to make an impact.
Mbappe could still go out on a high by winning European club soccer’s biggest prize this season. He scored in PSG’s 2–0 win on Wednesday over Real Sociedad in the first leg of the round of 16, taking his record-extending club tally to 243 goals in just 290 games, including 38 in the Champions League. He also has 93 assists for PSG, third on the club’s all-time list.