Inside Kylian Mbappe's PSG U-turn: 'Great anger' at Real Madrid, the Qatar trip and a call to Florentino Perez
Sat, May 21, 2022
Soccer News (AP)
Kylian Mbappe turning down Real Madrid will go down as an incredible story that has resulted in the Spanish club in "great anger." It was incredibly unexpected for ahead of Saturday's Ligue 1 season finale against Metz (a game in which he scored a hat-trick in celebration). So much so that everyone inside Real Madrid's camp were left with no words. Speechless.'
Ultimately, Mbappe had a change of heart and decided to sign a new contract with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. So what was the unexpected change that produced this turnaround? Let's break it down in a special edition of Here We Go this week.
In the previous week, Mbappe had new contacts with Real Madrid through his lawyers and his family and everyone felt optimistic about the deal. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had a five-year contract already prepared for months with a huge bonus for the signing fee and total control of the image rights. It's why there was great optimism within the club. It almost felt like without a doubt there were only positive signs as they waited and waited for the green light on Tuesday when Mbappe and the rest of the PSG team returned from a quick break in Qatar before the end of the season. Carlo Ancelotti was sure that Mbappe had been destined for Real Madrid for months now.'
In order to join a new club, you obviously need to put pen to paper. And that's where, in retrospect, things never fully materialized for Real Madrid. Mbappe and his family never'signed an official document or contract with Real Madrid. They only held negotiations for a contract discussed verbally. That's because on Monday Mbappe was in Qatar and his new camp contacts with Paris Saint-Germain changed everything.'
"When he returned to Paris on Tuesday, he was another Kylian," sources close to the deal tell AP Sports about the last-ditch pitch by Nasser Al-Khelaifi's team. Mbappe was tempted by the incredibly lucrative Paris Saint-Germain three-year proposal for several reasons. For starters, a rich contract and a huge salary was the obvious, but more importantly, the possibility of is what may have been the most intriguing. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino and sporting director Leonardo Araujo are not expected to stay beyond the end of this season and some players are expected to follow them out of the door this summer following the Mbappe U-turn.
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Real Madrid expected a definitive communication from Mbappe last Tuesday. It was supposed to be the final green light to announce the new signing shortly after. Instead, Mbappe was rather silent and asked for more time to contemplate his options. That's when worry began to circulate around the Real Madrid camp as they less than a week away from playing Liverpool in the Champions League final (AP and Paramount+). The final decision had arrived on Friday and by Saturday at 3 p.m. local time in Spain, hours ahead of the celebration that took place in front of the Parc des Princes faithful, the verdict had reached Perez's desk. Mbappe wanted to personally call the Perez to communicate his choice. "I'm sorry, but I reject Real Madrid's offer and I will stay at PSG."
Inside the Real Madrid camp there is talk of "great anger" at how Mbappe and his camp handled the situation, while the Parisian club rejoiced publicly with Al-Khelaifi. Now it will be time to react for the Spanish giants who had a clear strategy on the market: Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger and a left back to complete the team's wish list for next season. With Mbappe staying put, Real Madrid will have to change the plan. Meanwhile, Rudiger will be officially introduced as a Real player as early as the next few days, with a contract signed until June 30, 2026. Losing Mbappe is a huge disappointment for Real Madrid and the PSG revolution with a new manager and a new director is about to begin in what is expected to be a busy summer of deals across the sport.
