Kylian Mbappe has lashed out at yet another season in which Paris Saint-Germain failed to qualify for the Champions League.
- PSG knocked out by Bayern at last-16
- Fifth exit at that stage in seven seasons
- Mbappe bemoans clubs “shortcomings”
WHAT HAPPENED? PSG’s existence is still plagued by Europe’s premier competition, as a bad start to this season’s edition saw them finish second in a group that included Benfica, Juventus, and Maccabi Haifa. This resulted in a tough round of 16 match against Bayern Munich, who thrashed the capital team. Easy wins at home and away completed a 3-0 aggregate victory, sending PSG out in the last-16 for the sixth time in seven seasons.
WHAT THEY SAID: Mbappe, who came closest in the 2020 final against familiar foes Bayern, has bemoaned yet more failure this term, telling La Gazzetta dello Sport: “For a player like me, the goal is to win everything. And we knew that at PSG there were shortcomings that sooner or later we were going to end up paying for.
Mbappe added on the recent controversy surrounding his contract, which is due to expire next year, and reports claiming he is set to push for a move to Real Madrid this summer: “I didn’t say I wanted to be sold to Real Madrid or want to leave, but only that I won’t activate the option on the extra year. With PSG, there has never been any talk of a renewal.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: As the Frenchman alludes to, there have been rumours linking him with a move away from Paris and to Madrid – who certainly know how to win a Champions League. Boasting a record 14 European crowns to their name, Real are in need of a long-term replacement for the recently departed Karim Benzema, who sealed a move to Saudi champions Al-Ittihad last week. To do that, though, Los Blancos will need PSG to put Mbappe up for market, as the player is seemingly insistent he won’t force a move.
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Getty Images
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WHAT NEXT? If that is the case, Madrid would be happy to part with up to €200 million (£171m/$216m) for the 24-year-old, despite him having just a year left on his contract. Despite Mbappe’s stance that he doesn’t want to leave just yet, the transfer saga looks to set to dominate yet another summer window.
