The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Sport Saturday
Mbappe set for Real after quitting PSG
Kylian Mbappe has announced his departure from Paris St-Germain at the end of his contract next month and paved the way for a free transfer to Real Madrid by looking for a “new challenge” away from France.
The 25-year-old will play his last game at Parc des Princes as a PSG player tomorrow, against Toulouse, with the Ligue 1 title having already been secured. His final match for the club will in the French Cup final against Lyon on May 25.
Mbappe has been expected to sign a five-year contract with Real, with his departure from PSG timed now as the two clubs cannot meet in the Champions League final this season. Mbappe addressed PSG supporters in a four-minute social media post in which he confirmed he will leave.
“It’s my last year at Paris St- Germain,” he said. “I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks. I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.
“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience at a club with a lot of pressure, to grow of course by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions, to meet a lot of people and to grow as a man as well with all the glory and the mistakes I’ve made.
“I want to thank all the teammates I had and all the coaches – Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe
Galtier and Luis Enrique.” Mbappe signed a contract with PSG two years ago and displayed a shirt with 2025 printed on the back, although the terms of the deal meant he signed until 2024 with an option for a further year.
He made it clear he would not be taking the option, which put Real on alert as early as last summer when they planned to have Mbappe and England’s Jude Bellingham as the future of their team.
While he won six Ligue 1 titles in his seven years at PSG after joining from Monaco, Mbappe’s relationship with supporters has been complex, particularly since it became apparent he would not be staying beyond this year. Mbappe confirmed in his public address that he would be leaving France. Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal made a worldrecord £259 million bid for him last year but he did not entertain the thought of moving to the Middle East.
“It’s hard, hard. I never thought it would be this difficult to announce to leave my country,” Mbappe said.
“The Ligue 1 championship is something I have always known but I think I needed this – a new challenge after seven years.
“I haven’t always lived up to the love you all gave me for seven years but I never wanted to cheat, I always wanted to be effective. I do not regret signing for this club.”