Kylian Mbappe has confirmed he is leaving PSG.
Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season in an emotional video posted on social media. The France superstar took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday evening to make his summer departure official, with Real Madrid strongly expected to be his destination.
“Hi everyone, it’s Kylian. I wanted to speak to you. I’ve always said that I would speak with you, and so I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain,” Mbappe told the camera.
“I will not extend [my contract], and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks. I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”
Mbappe joined PSG from AS Monaco in a deal worth around £166million in 2017, since establishing himself as arguably the world’s best player.
The 25-year-old has scored 255 goals and provided a further 108 assists in 306 appearances for the Parisiens, lifting six Ligue 1 titles in seven seasons.
He continued: “It’s a lot of emotions. [For] many years, I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world, which allowed me to arrive here.
“[It’s been an honour] to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player, of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions, to meet a lot of people, to grow as a man as well, with all the glory and the mistakes I’ve made.
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Kylian Mbappe is expected to join Real Madrid.
“[I also want to thank] the sporting directors – Leonardo and Luis Campos – for always accompanying me.
“[And] all the members of staff at the club, those nobody sees, the folks in the shadows, whether it’s the physios, the intendants, the performance team, the office staff members, the ones at campus, everybody.
“All those incredible people who give everything to the club deserve to have this recognition.
“Despite everything that can happen on the outside, all this media hype that surrounds the club sometimes, there are some real club lovers who want to protect it and make it shine. And I know that with all these people, this club is in great hands.
“First of all, I want to thank the teammates, all of the teammates I had, and all the coaches: Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier and Luis Enrique.
“[I also want to thank] the sporting directors – Leonardo and Luis Campos – for always accompanying me.
“[And] all the members of staff at the club, those nobody sees, the folks in the shadows, whether it’s the physios, the intendants, the performance team, the office staff members, the ones at campus, everybody.
“All those incredible people who give everything to the club deserve to have this recognition.”
Mbappe has won 14 trophies overall in Paris, averaging two per year, and could make it 15 when PSG face Lyon in the Coupe de France final on May 25, his final game for the club.
MERCI. ???????????? @PSG_inside pic.twitter.com/t0cL2wPpjX
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) May 10, 2024
But a first-ever Champions League has continued to elude the Parisiens, most recently via a surprising semi-final defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
Real, however, completed a last-gasp comeback against Bayern Munich to book their spot in another final. They could lift a record-extending 15th Champions League at Wembley Stadium.
That will undoubtedly have played into Mbappe’s decision, with Real duo Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham also frontrunners for the 2024 Balon d’Or award.
Mbappe added: “Despite everything that can happen on the outside, all this media hype that surrounds the club sometimes, there are some real club lovers who want to protect it and make it shine. And I know that with all these people, this club is in great hands.
“It’s hard, it’s hard, and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that I’m leaving my country, France, the Ligue 1, a championship I have always known.
“But I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years. It’s difficult, and of course, there are some people I want to thank above all. These are the fans.
“I know I’m not the most demonstrative player. I haven’t always lived up to the love you all gave me for seven years. But I never wanted to cheat. I have always wanted to be effective.
“PSG is a club that never leaves anyone indifferent. We can love it or hate it. I made the choice to love it, and I did for seven years, with ups and downs, of course. But I do not regret any moment [after] signing with this prestigious club.
“It’s a club that I will keep in my memory my entire life. I will tell everybody that I had the chance to play here.
“I won’t be a [PSG] player anymore, but I will continue to watch every game, of course, because it’s a club that I will always be interested in and I will always closely follow up its news.
“It was me, with my qualities and defects, but I tried to give the best version of myself during those seven years.
“But beforehand, I want to say thank you because, without you, I would have never experienced half of the emotions I felt. And just for that, I am grateful for my life.
“Thank you all. I hope we will finish this year with one last trophy. We are going to have good moments for what’s left, and believe that you will remain in my heart forever. Ici c’est Paris. Goodbye.”
Mbappe will bid farewell to the Parc des Princes in PSG’s final home game of the season against Toulouse on Sunday.
Trips to Nice and Metz follow in the build-up to the cup final against Lyon before Mbappe becomes Florentino Perez’s latest Galacticos at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1897884/Kylian-Mbappe-confirms-PSG-exit-Real-Madrid-transfer-news-breaking