Bonjour, Messi, au revoir for Mbappe?
PARIS (AFP) — Lionel Messi has been reunited with his old Barcelona teammate Neymar in an all-star attack at Paris Saint-Germain, but the question now is whether the arrival of the Argentinian superstar could actually push Kylian Mbappe out of the French giants.
PSG's plan is to have the three forwards playing together in an allstar attack that they hope can finally win them the Champions League, yet Mbappe's long-term future remains a source of doubt.
Messi has just penned a two-year contract worth a reported 35 million euros ($41 million) a year with the option of a third season.
In May, Neymar, who is 29, extended his deal with the club to 2025.
Mbappe, in contrast, is out of contract at the end of this season and is a long-time target for Real Madrid.
"Mbappe is possible," said the headline on the front of Madrid-based sports daily AS on Tuesday.
"The arrival of Messi at PSG pushes Mbappe aside and paves the way for his arrival in Madrid."
Mbappe has refused to rush into a decision over his future, leaving PSG in something of an awkward situation.
They are not considering selling him but nor do they want to see a player who cost 180 million euros ($211m), the second-highest transfer fee in history, leave for free when his contract expires next June.
"Everyone knows that I am deeply attached to this club," Mbappe said in an interview with broadcaster Canal Plus in May.
"But I want to feel that I am in a place where I really can win, where there is a project in place to do that."
When asked about Mbappe's future at Messi's unveiling on Wednesday, PSG's Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi insisted that the France striker was now in the best possible place to fulfil his Champions League ambitions.