In any case, Barcelona will not be the new club of Kylian Mbappé, reports L’Equipe† The Catalans no longer appear to be in the running for the sought-after Frenchman, after they made inquiries with Mbappe’s management last month. To Barcelona’s surprise, Mbappe was willing to listen to the club’s plans, but his financial demands made him unfeasible.
The 23-year-old attacker of Paris Saint-Germain spoke about his future on Sunday evening after the duel with Lorient (5-1 win). “I haven’t made my choice yet, everyone knows that. I’m still thinking about it, because there are new elements that can determine the choice,” said a cryptic Mbappé. “I want to make the right choice, that can take some time. If I had already made up my mind, I would have let you know. I’m not going to answer all questions about it. Because if I had made my choice, I would take responsibility. For the good and the bad, that’s how I’ve always done it. I don’t have to hide either, because I didn’t kill anyone. I just want to make the best decision possible.”
The possible ‘new elements’ that Mbappé describes do not seem to come from the Barcelona camp, the French medium says. Blaugrana reportedly made inquiries with the French world champion’s management last month. Where a transfer to Real Madrid previously seemed in order, the leadership was surprised when Mbappe indicated that he was ready to hear the plans of Barcelona. “Mbappe or any player for that matter, I don’t want to talk about it because it’s not in the best interest of the club,” President Joan Laporta said last week. “It would only drive up the price for those players. I can say that we are not going to perform an operation that endangers the club. We are not going to be fooled by any player.”
The news makes Real Madrid and his current club PSG appear to be the only clubs left in the race for the sought-after signature of the Frenchman. Mbappe is in possession of an expiring contract at PSG and has been strongly associated with Real Madrid in recent months. Transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano announced last week that the striker will make his choice between PSG and Real Madrid. Mbappe himself indicated after the game against Lorient that all options are still open, including a contract extension with PSG. “I’ve already given you quite a bit of information, you know what you can do with that. Is it a possibility that I stay at PSG? Yes, of course,” concluded the attacker who has already scored 28 goals and 20 assists in 38 official games this season.