Real Madrid are reportedly concerned about Kylian Mbappe’s fickleness.
According to Fabrice Hawkins of France’s RMC Sport, “PSG have explained that they have laid the groundwork to re-sign Mbappe. However, Mbappe’s side has not confirmed this. There are also claims that there have been no contract discussions. Therefore, we have to look elsewhere for the reason for the unification of PSG and Mbappe.”
Even before the start of the season, PSG had been plagued by problems with Mbappe’s transfer. The saga dates back to mid-June. Mbappe and PSG had signed a new contract before the start of the 2022-23 season.
At the time, the contract was reported to be for three years. When Mbappe and PSG president Nasser El-Khelaifi announced the renewal, he wore the number 2025 on his PSG jersey to signify that he was staying until 2025.
However, PSG’s contract with Mbappe was a two-year deal, with Mbappe having the right to trigger a one-year extension clause. Mbappe and PSG had been in talks to extend his contract beyond the 2022-23 season. The talks were going well, but suddenly Mbappe informed them in a letter that he would not trigger the extension clause.
PSG was extremely angry and felt strongly betrayed by Mbappe and took the position that they would sell him. Before the final decision was made, PSG gave Mbappe two options: re-sign or transfer.
Mbappe’s position was staged. When Mbappe returned to pre-season after the holidays, he didn’t say much, and eventually PSG decided that he wasn’t willing to extend his contract, so he missed the pre-season tour. PSG traveled to Japan for an Asian tour without Mbappe. Mbappe remained in France to train.
PSG attempted to sell Mbappe, but the deal fell through when Mbappe repeatedly rejected the move. The situation became increasingly serious when Mbappe was dropped from the PSG roster and forced to train with the second team, but suddenly the situation took a 180-degree turn.
“Mbappe has rejoined the first team in training,” PSG announced on its official website on Wednesday. After a very constructive and positive discussion between PSG and Mbappe before the match against FC Lorient, the player has returned to first-team training.”
European soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano added: “Mbappe is back. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: ‘Mbappe is back and will be fully committed. Al-Khelaifi informed that the situation has changed. Mbappe is available from the next game and is expected to stay at PSG this summer.”
There are a number of reasons why PSG and Mbappe have rekindled their relationship, but the common thread across the media is the waiver of the loyalty bonus and Mbappe’s commitment. The loyalty bonus was money that Mbappe would have received if he stayed at PSG until the 2023-24 season.
The exact amount is still being kept under wraps, but it’s been reported to be in the neighborhood of €100 million or more. Many speculate that it could be in excess of €100 million ($146.1 billion). That’s the equivalent of a superstar’s transfer fee.
The issue of loyalty bonuses was one of the most sensitive for PSG when they were informed that Mbappe would not be allowed to sign a contract extension. A loyalty bonus is literally a bonus for being loyal to your club.
Mbappe is being paid because he’s staying with PSG, not because he’s moving to another club. However, if Mbappe were to leave on a free transfer after receiving his 100+ million bonus, PSG would be doubly screwed. They would have to pay the loyalty bonus as per the contract, and they wouldn’t make a dime on the transfer fee by letting Mbappe go.
Now, media reports are suggesting that Mbappe has waived his loyalty bonus from PSG. French publication L’Equipe reported on Friday that “Mbappe had to give up a lot of things, including his bonus. Mbappe’s return suggests that he has given up something,” the French publication reported.
It was also reported that Mbappe promised not to harm the club with his move. “The club is seeking a win-win deal, but Mbappe has promised not to harm PSG,” Hawkins said.
The details of Mbappe’s promise to PSG are not being disclosed. There is some speculation as to what the promise was to not harm the club. There are different interpretations as to whether he would sign a new contract with PSG and then move on, or whether he would make a quiet transfer to avoid damaging the club’s image.
However, one thing is for sure: Mbappe still has no intention of signing a new contract with PSG, so speculation that he will sign a new deal with the club and collect a transfer fee is likely to be wrong.
The truth of the situation between Mbappe and PSG is still a mystery, and it seems that neighboring Spain is also having an impact. PSG were convinced that Mbappe had a pre-agreement with Real when he handed in his non-contract notice, and the player had been heavily linked with the club.
Even in the summer transfer window of the 2021-22 season, Mbappe had been weighing a move to Real and a stay at PSG for a very long time. Just when it looked like a move to Real was about to be finalized, Mbappe shocked the world by dramatically choosing to stay at PSG.
Even after Mbappe decided to re-sign with PSG, he was still linked to Real. This summer was no different. Real were left with a gaping hole in their frontline after Karim Benzema made a surprise move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad.
However, Real president Florentino Perez only signed Joselu, who has made a name for himself in Spanish La Liga, and did not sign another striker. In response, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly been pushing for a striker. Perez is unlikely to give in to Ancelotti’s demands, at least not this summer.
Speculation continues that Perez’s decision not to sign a striker is to make room for Mbappe next summer. If PSG were to sign a player like Harry Kane, who was also on the market this summer, it would hinder their ability to sign Mbappe next summer.
When PSG tried to force a sale of Mbappe this summer, there was a lot of speculation that Real would step in, but so far, Real have remained quiet. As RMC Sport’s Frédéric Ermel explains, “Real seemed to be the favorite for him, but Mbappe was never part of Perez’s plans this summer. If there was a real war between PSG and Mbappe, Real would probably have tried to do something. But they didn’t.”
Real’s decision to not pursue a deal for Mbappe this summer was made by the club’s top brass. “I’m not disappointed because they decided there was no more hope,” Ermel said. The word inside Real is that Mbappe’s words don’t mean much to them.”
This seems to be the conclusion of a loss of confidence in Mbappe within the club. It turns out that this is very much linked to the summer 2022 transfer window. “After what happened last year, Real are scared,” Ermel said. They don’t understand what happened in 2022. Because you can’t say ‘yes’ to someone and then say ‘no’ three days later. That’s why we don’t trust Mbappe’s words,” he added.
Real are also concerned that Mbappe will once again make excessive demands during the transfer process. Last summer, the issue was over image rights, with Mbappe demanding 100 percent of the rights to the player’s likeness, which Real said they could not match.
In fact, Real are so strict about the rules that even with Cristiano Ronaldo, they only gave away 60% of the likeness rights. However, in order to sign Mbappe, they had to compete with PSG. In the end, Real were willing to meet Mbappe’s demands, but Mbappe chose PSG over Real. 메이저놀이터
According to Ermel, “Above all, in addition to missing out on Mbappe in 2022, Real’s management is concerned that Mbappe will demand too much in terms of additional demands and club projects. Real don’t like players who are too fickle. Today, Mbappe is no longer Real’s top priority,” he added.
Even if he’s not a top target, there are no absolutes in the transfer market. No one expected PSG’s relationship with Mbappe to improve so suddenly, and few thought Neymar would move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal. There are still about two weeks left before the transfer window closes. Real could suddenly show up with a bunch of money.