Pep Guardiola has spoken about the potential transfer of Kylian Mbappe to Manchester City as Paris Saint Germain looks to sell the player this summer.
Kylian Mbappe is once again close to leaving PSG, after previously trying in 2022. He was close to signing for Real Madrid at the time, though he chose to renew his contract again to stay in the capital. It seems that he has now changed his mind about staying.
While Kylian Mbappe has said he will stay at the club this season, it is quite certain PSG will like to sell him this summer. Real Madrid is the forerunner in the race to buy Mbappe from the club, but now Manchester City has also spoken about the star.
Pep Guardiola comments on Mbappe transfer rumors
In a recent interview, Pep Guardiola was asked if City will try to buy the French superstar this summer. But the Spaniard quickly dismissed any notion of the City going for the PSG star. He said,
“We will not sign Kylian Mbappé, he’s not joining Man City — all of you know where he wants to go.”
It is clear that Guardiola believes that Mbappe has only one destination, Real Madrid. It is public knowledge that Madrid and Mbappe both admire each other. Mbappe is a lifelong fan of the club, specifically of their legend Cristiano Ronaldo. It is reported that Mbappe’s dream is to play for Madrid one day and it could come true now. Rumors have persisted since 2017 that the club will buy the striker, but it has never been done.
Pep Guardiola: “We will not sign Kylian Mbappé, he’s not joining Man City — all of you know where he wants to go…”. 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/wq0ETWPuuR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 19, 2023
City and Guardiola also have no need to add any more attackers to their squad. They already have Erling Haaland up top who has led them to a treble win this season. The Norway star has scored 52 goals in 53 appearances, breaking countless records. He is also a top candidate for this season’s Ballon d’Or, competing against Lionel Messi.
It is also probable that Haaland and Mbappe won’t play with each other as both want to be the main star of their respective teams.
Why do PSG want to sell Kylian Mbappe?
Mbappe sent a formal letter to the club last Monday, where he said that he will not be activating the clause to renew his contract for one more year. PSG is said to understand that Mbappe intends to leave the club. Though Mbappe himself did not say he wants to leave, just that he won’t be renewing his contract.
According to French outlet L’Equipe, The club has now decided on an ultimatum. Either Mbappe has to sign a new contract with them or they will sell him to another club this summer. This is to avoid losing him on a free transfer next season.
According to Marca, PSG wants a fee between 150 to 200 million euros. Such a high fee is a very big extravagance for any club.
Real Madrid has recently seen the departure of legendary striker Karim Benzema, who left on a free to join Saudi club Al Ittihad. This means that they need to find a replacement striker quickly to stay competitive for trophies after a bad season. Reports say Madrid is ready to spend up to 200 million euros for the soccer star. Mbappe is also ready to join the club, though he has said he will stay at PSG this season.
One way or another, Kylian Mbappe will leave PSG. But the question is whether he will leave this summer for a high fee or next summer for free.
