Paris Saint-Germain started the season as one of the Champions League favourites. After all, they are the team of Mbappe, Messi, and Neymar. But once again the Parisians disappointed their fans and exited the competition early. This means the French Champions have to once again settle for the compensation of winning the Ligue 1 title. The team’s stars are feeling more uneasy every year. Among them is of course Kylian Mbappe, who made a cryptic comment after the Bayern match. A comment many see as a hint at him leaving Paris next summer.
The 24-year-old forward is already one of the most accomplished players in the world. He is PSG’s all-time top scorer, he has won the World Cup, led France to another final, and already counts five Ligue 1 titles. But he does miss the holy grail of European football, the Champions League. He certainly felt disappointed after yet another early exit from the competition.
Since PSG’s iconic transfer window of signing Messi, Sergio Ramos, Donnarumma and Hakimi, they’ve failed to reach even the quarter-final stage of the UCL!👀
They’ve been eliminated at the Round of 16 in 5 out of the last 7 seasons!🤯#PSG #ChampionsLeague #BAYPAR pic.twitter.com/F7NsEjLPsN
— helpbet.com (@HelpbetC) March 9, 2023
“As I said in my first Champions League press conference this season, we were going to do our maximum. The truth is this is our maximum,” he admitted.
So this is PSG’s ceiling, is it? Was this just a comment in the heat of the moment, or is the disappointment deeper? Is it enough to lead Mbappe out of Paris? There is no doubt that many teams would want to add him to their roster, but this won’t be easy. He has the highest market value in the world, according to Transfermarkt, at 180 million euros, just ahead of fellow wonderkid Erling Haaland. He is, of course, seen as untouchable by PSG, so it is highly unlikely he will be on the move in the next transfer window. The odds of him staying at Paris, for now, are as low as they get, according to the best online bookmakers.
There is a caveat though. His contract runs out in 2024 and then he will be free to move to any team he wants. So maybe next season is PSG’s last chance to win the Champions League, in order to keep Mbappe around. In a pretty literal sense, there is a clause in his contract, that automatically extends the deal to 2025, should the team win the trophy.
And then there is Lionel Messi. The Argentinian, a grand favourite to win another Ballon d’Or after leading his country to the World Cup victory, never felt at home in Paris. There are rumours of him looking for a new team, or trying to go back to his favourite Barcelona. His contract is expiring in a few months, but bookmakers believe he will renew.
To be honest, though, the family has bigger problems right now. The mafia attack against his in-laws’ store in Rosario is certainly much more important right now than looking for a new club.
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