Paris Saint-Germain sporting director confirms Kylian Mbappe's imminent departure amid Real Madrid links
Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe has been heavily linked with a switch away from the Parc des Princes over the last couple of weeks. Real Madrid have been circling around him for months now and PSG's sporting director Leonardo has all but confirmed that the player is determined to leave.
Leonardo said:
"Kylian Mbappe wants to leave, that seems clear... If he wants to leave, we will not stop him, but (the transfer will be) on our terms."
The Brazilian also confirmed that Real Madrid have made an approach to sign the Paris Saint-Germain attacker. Reports emerged indicating that Los Blancos lodged a €160million bid to snap him up recently. It is worth noting that PSG paid around €180 million to secure Mbappe's services from Monaco in 2017. \
In four years at the club, the Frenchman has made 174 appearances for the Parisians, scoring 133 goals and providing 63 assists. Mbappe has also won three Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups, two French League Cups and three French Supercups with Paris Saint-Germain.
Leonardo said:
"We have no plans to talk to Real Madrid again. The deadline is August 31 at midnight. This is how the transfer window is, for us, we are clear: we keep him and we extend. But we're not going to let him go for less than what we paid when we still owe Monaco money."
"We haven't had much public communication on all that, but our position has always been to keep Kylian, to extend his contract, that has always been our aim and that is still the case."
Leonardo also confirmed that Paris Saint-Germain had made "two significant offers" to Kylian Mbappe previously. He said:
"We made two significant offers to Kylian: one at the level of the top players in our squad two months ago and one above that of those players very recently. We want to prove to him that he is an important player, at the centre of our project, but not above the project."
"In terms of our position on Real, it seems like a strategy to try to get a no from us, to show that they have tried everything and to wait for a year to get him for free."
Real Madrid have been pulling the strings to lure Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain over the last couple of months. The attacker is said to have his heart set on a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu and has reportedly informed the Parisians of his intentions already.
Kylian Mbappe only a step away from leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid
It has become increasingly likely that Kylian Mbappe will end up at Real Madrid. It was reported earlier that the winger was set to sign a pre-contract with the Spanish giants. The latest revelation from Paris Saint-Germain's sporting director also suggests Los Blancos have moved very close to their dream signing.
Kylian Mbappe is in the final year of his contract with the Ligue 1 giants. This means he will become a free agent at the end of the season and can start holding talks with potential suitors as early as January 2022.