Kylian Mbappe has already agreed to forgo a loyalty bonus worth £69million in order to secure a more amicable exit from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, as Liverpool prepare to make their move.
Twenty-five-year-old Mbappe has just entered the final six months of his lucrative PSG contract which was only signed in 2022 after Parc des Princes chiefs managed to fend off strong interest from Real Madrid. At the beginning of this campaign, however, the Ligue 1 champions were left furious with Mbappe and axed him from their pre-season tour of Asia after the French superstar wrote to the club informing them that he wouldn’t be agreeing to sign-off a one-year extension, as PSG had previously expected him to do.
Despite the dispute, Mbappe was still rewarded with an 80 million euro loyalty bonus after he remained with the club beyond the closure of summer transfer window and was reintegrated into new manager Luis Enrique’s squad. Mbappe, though, waived the first instalment of that bonus and would be willing to forgo it completely should he leave Paris this summer.
Amid the complex financial developments, reported by Caught Offside, the France captain can now sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club and Liverpool hope to take advantage of his uncertain future. Spanish giants Real Madrid were long considered to be the most interested party but multiple reports over the winter have suggested that Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are now the frontrunners after holding previous discussions over a transfer.
“I talked to Liverpool because it’s the favourite club of my mum,” Mbappe told the Telegraph in 2022. “I don’t know why, you will have to ask her! It’s a good club and we met them five years ago. When I was in Monaco I met them. It’s a big club.”
He hasn’t ruled out staying in the French capital, though, with the former Monaco starlet declaring after PSG beat Toulouse 2-0 in the French Super Cup on Wednesday: “I’m very, very, very motivated for this year. It’s very important.
“As I said, we’ve got titles to go after and we’ve already won one, so that’s already done. After that, no, I haven’t made up my mind yet. But in any case, with the agreement I made with the chairman this summer, it doesn’t matter what I decide.
“We managed to protect all parties and preserve the club’’ serenity for the challenges ahead, which remains the most important thing. So we’ll say it’s secondary.”
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi heaped praise on Mbappe after his return to the squad – and the goals – in September, saying: “Kylian Mbappe is an incredible player and fantastic person. And the PSG team, on and off the field, has never been so united.”
