5 potential destinations for Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe will enter the final year of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this season and is tipped to be sold in the summer.
We have seen an incredible amount of talented youngsters emerge across the top European leagues in the recent past but perhaps none of them have been able to make our heads turn like Kylian Mbappe.
The Frenchman has been an absolute revelation ever since breaking into the playing XI at AS Monaco and being at the forefront of the Ligue 1 outfit's run to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League in the 2016-17 season. He subsequently joined Paris Saint-Germain and has been a standout performer for them too.
His current contract with Paris Saint-Germain will expire in 2022 and Kylian Mbappe is expected to move on to different challenges this summer. He hasn't yet decided on whether or not to extend his contract with the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
If he chooses not to extend, then this summer will thus pose Paris Saint-Germain the final chance to recoup a major part of the fee, which is in the ballpark of €170 million, that they paid to secure his services from AS Monaco.
Known for his blistering speed, dribbling ability and clinical finishing, Kylian Mbappe will undoubtedly be an asset to any club he joins. Here, we take a look at five potential destinations for the 22-year-old.
5 potential destinations for Kylian Mbappe
#5 Manchester United
Okay, hear us out. There are only a handful of clubs that can even dream about pulling off such a move and Manchester United definitely have the financial clout for it. They have made several big money signings in the recent past and you could not put this past them.
Manchester United actively pursued Jadon Sancho's signature last summer but were not willing to match Borussia Dortmund's €120 million valuation of the youngster. The fact that Sancho hasn't had a great season this time around could force the Red Devils into reconsidering going for him in the summer transfer window.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants a right-winger and there aren't many better than Kylian Mbappe. However, pursuing a deal for Kylian Mbappe will severely drain Manchester United of funds that they could invest to bolster another position as well.
But given how they were willing to shell out big money for Jadon Sancho, the Red Devils could yet show up with a bid for Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has definitely proved himself on the big stage and is now seen as the direct successor to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Manchester United are currently sitting on top of the Premier League table and have an exciting bunch of players as well. It could be a great group for Mbappe to become a part of.
#4 Barcelona
With Lionel Messi set to leave Barcelona at the end of the season, the club will be faced with having to fill a giant void. The Catalans are in disarray right now and are not a very tempting proposition for any player who is walking into the best period of his career.
However, if at all Barcelona are to have any chance of finding someone who can produce similar numbers and have as big of an impact on the club as Messi has had, they won't find individuals better than Mbappe.
But there are several stumbling blocks. Barcelona's financial condition is quite bad and unless they offload some players for a good amount of money, they won't be able to even think about signing Kylian Mbappe.