Kylian Mbappé wants to leave PSG - but what clubs are capable of buying the world's MVP?

Paris Saint-Germain’s summer transfer window isn’t entirely going to plan. After losing Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, the Ligue 1 giants now seem intent on selling fellow star striker Kylian Mbappé this summer for fear of losing him for free when his current deal expires in 2024. A fact that only came to light a few months ago, when it was revealed that his previous contract extension was a year shorter than suggested at the time. 

As such, the France international has spent much of the summer in a Mexican stand-off with his club, following confirmation that he will not be signing an extension to his current deal. As Fabrizio Romano recently reported, the deadline for such an extension to be struck as since past, which now means that PSG will likely be hoping to sell the player to the highest bidder before the start of the new season. 

Chelsea, Real Madrid or Bayern? The clubs that may sign Mbappé

So where will Mbappé end up? With a market value of €180 million, the 24-year-old striker is the most valuable player in the world. And while his contract may be set to expire in little more than 12 months time, there’s no doubt that the French club would demand a fee in line with that market value if he was to be sold in the coming months. So who could afford the most valuable player in the world? 

Very few clubs, it would seem. Immediately after the original story broke, reports in Germany quickly dismissed any idea that Bayern Munich may look to pounce on Mbappé’s desires to leave Ligue 1. According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the Bundesliga giants simply couldn’t afford the huge transfer and wage demands that would come with signing Mbappé. But it seems as though some clubs could. According to the Times, both Manchester City and Chelsea registered an interest in the forward last year, but the former have since signed Erling Haaland. As such, that left the Stamford Bridge side as the sole English interested party and according to the Independent club owner Todd Boehly is hopefuly of making a "player-plus-cash" offer for the PSG striker. Whether that works remains to be seen. 

However, the leading favourites to sign Mbappé are undoubtedly Real Madrid, who tried to buy the player shortly before he signed his last contract extension with PSG. The Spanish club will undoubtedly be encouraged by the striker’s demands to make a move and few can offer Mbappé a starring role and a route to the Champions League each season quite like Los Blancos. Some may question whether Madrid have the financial muscle to pull off a move for Mbappé this summer, following the €103m signing of Jude Bellingham. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that over the last five seasons, Madrid’s net spend stands at just €163m. Which places them 19th, behind clubs like Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Southampton. Which some would suggest is due to the club saving their money for the right moment to try and go all in on Mbappé. Whether they can or will this summer remains to be seen. 

A potential spanner in the works for the Spanish giants came in the form of Saudi Arabia's newly-found interest in European football, which seems to have led them to the doors of PSG. According to Fabrizio Romano, Saudi club Al Hilal submitted a formal bid that would have eventually reached €300m for the France international. However, reports from France quickly dismissed the move after Mbappé apparent reluctance to even enter into negotiations with the club over a move away from European football this season. 

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