Paris Saint-Germain are considering making a formal complaint to Fifa over Real Madrid’s conduct in the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga.
It comes as Chelsea sources played down suggestions that they are in talks over a players-plus-cash deal for the player although it is understood some contact has been made.
Barcelona have already had several rounds of discussions with PSG, who are determined to sell the striker this month, with the Spanish giants understood to have unsuccessfully offered three players including star midfielder Gavi and Ousmane Dembele.
PSG are now in separate and advanced talks to sign Dembele and hope to pay €50 million (£42.8 million) – the clause in his contract that expires on August 1 – for the France forward.
PSG, who missed out on Rasmus Hojlund after Manchester United agreed a deal worth up to £72 million with Atalanta for the Danish striker, have also given up on their attempts to sign Bernardo Silva with Manchester City determined to keep the Portuguese international.
PSG are convinced Mbappe has an agreement with Real to sign for them for free next summer, which would earn him a €160 million (£138 million) signing-on fee.
That would be illegal under Fifa’s rules and constitute approaching a player without the permission of the club he currently represents. However the fact that Mbappe refused to even meet Saudi club Al-Hilal in Paris last week, despite their €300 million (£259 million) offer being accepted, has convinced PSG even more than there is a deal already in place with Madrid.
The most likely scenario, however, does appear to be a cash offer being made by Madrid before the end of the current transfer window. It could go down to deadline day, in fact.
That is because even if Real have an agreement with Mbappe to sign for free next year it cannot be legally binding and they therefore run the risk of being gazumped by another club.
But if Real pay a fee for Mbappe – and PSG have not set a price but would expect a figure that reflects he is a player who has scored a hat-trick in a World Cup Final – it will raise even more questions as to how they could afford the deal given the financial pressure they (and Barcelona) are under.
However the Spanish giants are currently set to go into the new campaign having lost Karim Benzema, and with 33-year-old former Stoke City centre-forward Joselu as their only recognised striker.
If Mbappe makes a move to the Premier League – which appears to have little chance of happening – then Chelsea would appear to be his most likely destination. Despite reports over the weekend that Liverpool are in talks, that possibility has been rubbished by senior sources.
Chelsea have already undergone a huge upheaval of their squad as they try and strengthen but also juggle with Financial Fair Play demands. It is understood they still have players to move on and they have formed part of the tentative initial talks with PSG although there is not only scepticism that they can construct an attractive enough deal, or will want to, but clearly whether Mbappe would sign for them.
He did have a good relationship at PSG with former coach Mauricio Pochettino, now in charge of Chelsea, and the pair worked well together but that is unlikely to prove significant.
The talks so far have therefore been described as ‘testing the water’ as to what might be possible.
Despite Mbappe appearing to be in a strong position – he has one year left on his current deal at PSG and has reiterated his desire to leave for free next summer – he runs the risk of a crucial campaign being written off if he does not play. PSG’s campaign begins on August 12, at home to Lorient, with the club’s fans unlikely to hold back in their hostility towards the player. He is also the captain of France and cannot afford not to play in a season that ends with the European Championships and also, crucially, the Olympics in Paris with Mbappe expected to be selected by his country for the football tournament.
The deadline passed at midnight on July 31 for Mbappe to inform PSG as to whether he will sign a one-year contract extension. However it became immaterial after he stressed he would not do so and with PSG having left him out of their pre-season squad that toured Japan and South Korea and formally put him up for sale.
The best outcome for all parties, it appears, would be for Mbappe to stay one more year at PSG, extend his contract to 2025, but with the agreement that he will be sold next summer.
