When Will Kylian Mbappé Announce His Future Plans?
Don't get worked up over the latest reports, only Kylian Mbappé knows where he will be playing next season.
That’s the question everyone wants to know, right? When will the Paris Saint-Germain superstar, who is arguably the best player in the world right now, decide which kit he will wear next season? Will he stay in the French capital? Will he leave for Real Madrid, one of his favorite childhood clubs? Or, is there a third club, like Liverpool F.C. or AC Milan, who could swoop in and sign the 25-year-old FIFA World Cup winner?
Technically, Mbappé is free to sign a pre-contract with his next club right now, but there have been no reports of anything close to that. The latest report, initially from Le Parisien and allegedly confirmed by other outlets, is that Mbappé has, in fact, decided to leave PSG and will sign with Real Madrid this summer.
Let’s get one thing clear before we go any further. No journalist knows what Mbappé intends to do. That goes for anyone at Le Parisien, Fabrizio Romano, and especially ESPN’s Julien Laurens. These journalists are either going with information fed to them by someone far down the chain with very little access to the people who matter or simply making things up for clicks because, at the end of the day, they have a 50/50 chance of being right.
Here are just a few reports from the last time Mbappé’s contract was set to expire and his future was in question:
[October 2021]
[November 2021] Real Madrid will reportedly sign Kylian Mbappé to pre-agreement in January - Madridista Real
[January 2022] Real and Mbappé agree! - Bild
[March 2022] Mbappé will sign for Real Madrid next week - Managing Madrid (via MARCA)
The only person who knows where Mbappé will play next season is Mbappé. Maybe his parents know, but that’s it. To think that a journalist has penetrated that small circle is absurd. Mbappé doesn’t need the media to announce his decision. His social media following dwarfs major European publications, and there’s no benefit to him in sharing his news with any journalist.
Then there’s the timing. Why would Mbappé decide to leak his news the day after a Ligue 1 match against RC Strasbourg in February? The last time we went through this was last month when PSG played an amateur side in the Coupe de France and beat them 9-0. There have also been reports of arbitrary dates that Real Madrid allegedly put in place for Mbappé to make a decision, but all of it feels manufactured and meant to excite the Real Madrid fanbase and, more importantly, generate clicks.
My personal opinion is that Mbappé has not made a decision yet. PSG is locked in a difficult Ligue 1 title race and has a very good chance of advancing past Real Sociedad in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Not only does Les Parisiens have a great opportunity to go on a deep run in Europe, but they finally have a proper sporting project that Mbappé can get excited about leading. There’s a lot to consider (wages, image rights, position, etc.), and to think he’s made his mind up about the future now is ridiculous. Furthermore, to think anyone outside of his family circle knows what he intends to do requires a stretch of the imagination that I’m just not capable of.
Mbappé may decide to leave PSG, and that’s okay. Most reasonable PSG supporters are prepared for that reality. He’s been at the club since 2017 and has achieved everything except a Champions League title, which could come this season. What PSG supporters are irritated by, myself included, is the constant rumors that are a clear fabrication.
The last time Mbappé made a decision about his future was before the last Ligue 1 match of the season in May of 2022. PSG’s last Ligue 1 match at the Parc des Princes this season is on Saturday, May 11, against Toulouse FC. I would imagine that Mbappé or the club will officially announce his intentions the week leading up to that match. Depending on what the news is, Mbappé will either be surrounded by fireworks, holding a jersey with a year on the back, or it will be a farewell atmosphere complete with a video montage and a lap of honor.
Either way, the future is bright for Paris Saint-Germain.