Manchester City met with one of Kylian Mbappe’s agents the day before he told PSG he wants to leave, according to reports in Spain.
Club officials reportedly spoke with one of the forward’s representatives in an informal capacity on Monday.
On Tuesday, Mbappe told PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi that he wishes to leave in the summer, and by Thursday it was public knowledge.
However, this revelation that City met a member of Mbappe’s camp in Manchester – as reported by Spanish radio network Cadena SER – throws the cat among the pigeons.
Manchester City reportedly met a representative of Kylian Mbappe on Monday, February 12
Mbappe then told PSG he wanted to leave on Tuesday, and this was made public on Thursday
Cadena SER claims that Mbappe has three principal representatives who are already making moves to set up his future.
Madrid have pursued Mbappe for seven years and have this time wanted a public show from him that he intended to leave PSG, having been left frustrated and humiliated in the past.
In May 2022 it looked as if Mbappe would leave Madrid, only for him to sign a new contract just weeks before the transfer window.
Last summer, there was huge uncertainty around his future. PSG had wanted him to extend his deal past 2025, but banished him to train with the B team, after Mbappe refused to sign a contract extension.
That stand-off intensified after the club prevented Mbappe from attending their tour of Japan – with the club subsequently dropping the 25-year-old from all advertising.
The signs back then were perhaps telling, with Mbappe writing a letter to the Parisian outfit stating that he would not be activating a year-long extension clause in his contract.
As tensions flared, PSG accused Mbappe of inflicting ‘a lasting paralysis on the club’ and stated that he should have treated the club better after their ‘years of unprecedented goodwill and commitment’ to him.
Now, Real Madrid are in pole position to sign him.
It was also recently reported that Mbappe had ‘chosen’ to join Carlo Ancelotti’s side and Real Madrid are favourites to sign him
In May 2022, Mbappe agreed a contract extension to stay with his hometown club until 2025
The Spanish club’s unwillingness to smash their wage structure to match the £21.4million annual salary the Frenchman earns in Paris after tax is no longer a problem, as there would be no transfer fee to pay.
Mail Sport understands Madrid are willing to make Mbappe the club’s top earner, surpassing the £10.3m per season they pay Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior.
They will also pay a signing-on fee of around £85.5m and open talks over what percentage of his image rights he retains.
The player’s mother Fayza Lamari wants Madrid to abandon their usual 50-50 split between club and player and Madrid president Florentino Perez is likely to cede to those demands.
The next six months will be hectic for Mbappe with the Euros and Olympics coming up
Whether Manchester City could offer greater money is a question worth considering, but Mbappe snubbed the chance to even speak to Al-Hilal in the summer, indicating that money is not his biggest motivation.
Therefore, his main driver would appear to be the competitive prospects of whoever he joins, and on that front, City have a compelling case to make.
