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Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe is poised to make his decision on his future much sooner than later.
Spanish giants Real Madrid are outrightly the only club most likely to sign the prolific Frenchman in the summer.
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The 23-year-old forward is arguably the best young striker in the world at the moment and the hottest property in the transfer market with his contract set to expire later in June this year.
Premier league sides Manchester City and Liverpool have been in the running for his signature.
However, neither City nor Liverpool looked to be a likely ‘surprise’ destination for the striker.
Real Madrid have been long been confident that Mbappe will make his way to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of PSG's season.
The French superstar now faces a crucial period in his career, as he is faced between remaining at the Parc de Princes and sealing his individual legacy as a club legend for the next generation of PSG superstars or fulfilling his childhood dream of wearing the shirt of the Los Blancos - a club with a super rich history, Champions league pedigree and a consistent winners mentality.
Real Madrid is unarguably appealing to any player in the world and only a select few could say “No” to the Spanish champions, when they come calling.
For PSG, they face a serious race against time, as to keeping the star man.
The chances of him completing a summer switch is increasingly likely, each passing moment.
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The French champions had reportedly offered the Frenchman an incredible new deal, which was understood to be impossible to turn down.
The Parisians are certainly no pushovers when it comes to financial fire-power, they can just about afford any player’s wages they so desire albeit financial fair play regulations could also come into play.
Mbappe’s career at the Parc de Princes has been truly decorated with every single trophy in France, scoring over 170 goals in 222 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants.
On International level, he was also instrumental in France’s World Cup triumph in 2018 as well as winning the UEFA Nations League trophy with Les Blues in 2021, not to mention his illustrious cabinet of Individual awards to his name.
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Mbappe is no doubt the ‘Golden boy’ of French football at the moment and his compatriot at his potential destination [Real Madrid] Karim Benzema, is fully aware of this fact.
Benzema has publicly stated his admiration for his countryman both under former coach Zinedine Zidane and current manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Even though he might not look it, Benzema is gradually exiting his prime - with regards to his age.
The 34-year-old striker has been the spine of the Los Blancos since Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit in 2018, consistently dominating the scoring charts - only coming second to former Barcelona star Leo Messi.
A union between Benzema and Mbappe would no doubt form one of Europe’s formidable attacking force on the long run with the likes of Vinicius Jnr and Rodrygo most likely to take over the mantle in attack, when the Galacticos Old Guard finally step down.
If anything, PSG’s embarrassing exit in this year’s Champions league to the Spanish champions would have been a real eye-opener for the Frenchman.
Mbappe had done half of the job for the Parisians in the first-leg, with the small but mighty matter of defending their slender lead heading into the return leg at the Bernabeu after the Frenchman’s 94th minute strike to condemn the Spanish champions to a defeat.
However, the Frenchman’s heroics in the second-leg wasn’t enough to save PSG from a comeback defeat at the hands of Real Madrid.
After his first-half wonder goal, the Parisians completely lost the plot in the second-half and were unable to stop his Madrid compatriot from grabbing a stupendous hat-trick to knock them out of the tie.
Mbappe must’ve been utterly gutted by the outcome, especially being fully aware of the calibre of world-class players on his team including Argentine maestro Lionel Messi and Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr.
If anything, the loss to his potential employers must’ve left the Frenchman asking himself questions about his team and how much of a competition they are collectively in Europe.
PSG have never had issues attaining domestic success, and why would they anyway? They boast the highest wage structure in Ligue 1 and have the best players in all aspects of the pitch.
Even so, Mauricio Pochettino’s side do not currently look like a side desperate or hungry for European success compared to the Spanish champions Madrid.
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The Parisians do not necessarily have a core or a knack for European success as much as they think they do.
The obsession, character and strong will is what they lack and have lacked for a couple of years despite their commercial success with superstar signings like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Neymar Jr and now Lionel Messi.
Amongst a few others, most significant trophy Mbappe wants to win, is the Champions league - the ‘holy grail’ of European club football competitions.
PSG for all their squad strength and financial power seem awkwardly NOT up to the task.
The farthest the Parisans have gone in the competition was all the way to the finals in 2020, which they lost by 1-0 to Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich under now Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel.
Mauricio Pochettino himself, had lost a Champions league finals in 2019, with Tottenham, a game which looked like a mismatch between Spurs and Liverpool a few minutes into kick-off.
Maybe the Champions league comes with its own courses, but Mbappe knows what he needs to do to get his hands on a UCL medal.
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Real Madrid are no shortcuts to European success in club football, but they possess steel and pedigree, just about enough to help them mount a serious challenge every season.
The Los Blancos have a good shot at bringing back the Champions league to Spain since their 2018 triumph when they face Liverpool in the ‘City of Love’ on May 29, 2022.
Kylian Mbappe no doubt knows his next move and has publicly admitted so, after winning his third consecutive Ligue 1 player of the year award.
"We will know really soon, it's almost done. My decision is made, yes, almost." the 23-year-old said while speaking on his award.
The French striker has never been in anyone’s shadow at the Parc de Princes, playing alongside superstars who all on the wrong side of 30 - so it’s not even a question of ego or pride.
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Not even the iconic Leo Messi, was enough to steal the spotlight from him, and he’s stated multiple times of how comfortable he is playing for the team.
Regardless, he knows exactly what he wants, and no one would fault his eventual choice if he decides it’s time to move on.
He’ll bow out as club legend even though, he is still 27 goals behind the highest goalscorer in the French champions history - Edinson Cavani [200].
If Mbappe eventually switches to Real Madrid, he would be no doubt welcome by the Los Blancos fans and stars as the latest Galacticos.
It might come as a worry for Karim Benzema on his long-term future despite his stellar season with the Los Blancos, but for as long as Big Benz can keep pushing, Madridstas can be rest assured they would see the French duo flourish in attack for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
Suffice to say, the biggest loser in this saga will be PSG who would feel the full effects of his departure, having rejected a whooping £160million for him from Real Madrid last summer.
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