Explained | Why Kylian Mbappe transfer could be win-win situation for all, including Real Madrid, PSG

The 2023 summer football transfer window has been a hot topic of debate with big names swapping clubs left, right, and centre. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were in the spotlight for the majority of the window in June, while it is the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga that has dominated the headlines in July. Mbappe, who has entered the final year of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain is reluctant to sign a new deal and wants to exit the club. Real Madrid and Al-Hilal are part of the domino in the transfer saga as the window moves to a decisive stage.

What is the current situation?

Currently, the captain of the French team is in the final year of his deal and will be free to join any club in the world after June 2024. Mbappe will be free to speak to any club after January as he enters the final six months of his contract. In June, France's captain assured that he won’t be leaving PSG this summer and wants to run down the contract. If this is the case, PSG won’t receive any transfer fee and will be left rueing their massive investment made in 2017.

On the club side, PSG are doing everything in their power to acquire a transfer fee or make sure Mbappe signs a new deal. PSG have given an ultimatum to Mbappe to sign a new deal before the end of July, which will see them retain the player’s service for a long time. However, those calls have not been answered by Mbappe and his representatives and have left his situation at the club in a state of limbo.

Considering, the former Monaco man is reluctant to sign a new deal, PSG have entered the transfer market and are ready to listen to offers. However, this will require the player’s vote to leave the club.

Why it is a win-win for all parties?

Ever since PSG have entered the transfer market for Mbappe, two clubs have been in a race to get his signature, Real Madrid and Al-Hilal. Real’s interest in the player dates back to 2021 and it hasbeen linked with the player for a long time. Al-Hilal on the other side, have been backed by the super-rich power of the Public Investment Fund (PFI) of Saudi Arabia. Al-Hilal have all the financial power and are ready to flex the money muscle to sign Mbappe in the transfer window.

Al-Hilal have officially sent a bid of $333 million to sign the player after their delegation travelled to Paris on Wednesday, July 26. Mbappe has reportedly rejected all the talks with the delegation, but another lucrative deal could be on its way and if he accepts the deal he could earn more than $600 million per year. In this case, both PSG and Mbappe will be in a win-win situation as they will earn huge financial packages.

On the player's side, Mbappe could negotiate a deal with Al-Hilal and sign a contract for only one year. This could see him become a free agent in 2024 and then he could join Real Madrid, a place he reportedly wants to go. This could be a win-win situation for Real as they will finally get the player they wanted to sign since 2021. Real will get the player on a free transfer if Mbappe signs only a one-year contract with Al-Hilal. Mbappe will also receive a reported $208 million as a signing-on fee as well.

Financially, Al-Hilal won’t have too much advantage as they will have to splash the cash to get the player. However, Mbappe’s arrival in the Saudi Pro League will see the popularity of the league increase big time. The league already has big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and others following which it has attracted a big fan base around the world. The French captain’s arrival in the league will be a welcome boost for the market value of the Saudi Pro League and the clubs associated with it. Al-Hilal in this case could recoup their investment made on Mbappe and will be in a win-win situation as well.

What is likely to happen to Mbappe?

Currently, the player is not in the plans of PSG and hasbeen dropped from the Japan tour in the pre-season. Since the player is reluctant for a move, he is likely to stay at PSG until June 2024 and sign for Real Madrid on a free transfer. PSG are helpless in the situation as they could only take action against the player for disciplinary reasons. Since Mbappe has not publicly criticised the club, PSG could only suspend him for not attending the pre-season.

This could see the player stay at PSG for the 2023-24 season, and the ball will be in PSG’s court whether to use Mbappe in the first-team or allow him to leave on a loan move.

The football transfer window in major European countries will close on September 1 while the football season will officially start in mid-August as Mbappe’s transfer saga continues.

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