Which Premier League Clubs Can Sign Kylian Mbappe?
It is official: Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain are done.
The drama is coming to an end after seven years of amazing skills, goals, assists and trophies.
The former wonderkid who has stood the test of time and is now the undisputed best player in the world at the moment is finally going to have his chance to assert his dominance over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The obvious destination for the World Cup winner is Real Madrid, but the Premier League’s pull cannot be underestimated.
Which Premier League clubs can give Los Blancos a run for their money?
Manchester City
Outside Real Madrid, only Manchester City can match PSG in finances in European football.
Newcastle United are slowly coming into their own but it will take some work before they can compete on the level of Madrid, PSG and City.
This is why City are first on the list of teams that can usurp the inevitable Mbappe to Madrid transfer that the world is waiting to hear news about.
The Cityzens can offer the 25-year-old whatever he wants. They currently have the two top earners in the league on their books and three of the top ten earners in the league on their books in total. Their wage bill is the biggest in the league alongside Manchester United’s. Their city rivals could easily make a beeline for Mbappe, but the Frenchman is unlikely to choose the club that is in turmoil at this time.
The financial rewards system at Manchester City, the likelihood of a trophy every season, the opportunity to be coached by the best manager in the world, Pep Guardiola, and the opportunity to play alongside superstars like Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haalnd may appeal more to the Frenchman.
Guardiola’s decision, however, is key to City going after the player.
Chelsea
Chelsea have made a habit of spending furiously in the market to acquire the best talents since Roman Abramovich relinquished ownership of the club to the Todd Boehly-led consortium.
They have spent over £1 billion on transfers to build a squad that can compete for the next decade. They still have their eyes set on a few targets whose prices are £100 million and above. Signing Mbappe will be the icing on the cake for this project.
The bottleneck to this dream of theirs would not be the finances – although they may not be able to offer a remuneration package close to City or United – but the guarantee of an immediately successful project.
In the two years of Boehly’s ownership, they have barely convinced onlookers that the strategy they are employing will yield any results. Mbappe has worked with Mauricio Pochettino so adapting may not be an issue for him. However, with the club planning to axe Pochettino, the new manager must be convincing enough for the future Ballon d’Or winner to choose the Blues over any other club.
Arsenal
Arsenal are the club with the least financial power on this list. However, they have the most exciting project of all.
Mbappe’s style also fits the Gunners well. He is a left winger who operates more as an inside forward. He can easily start from the number 9 position with Gabriel Martinelli flanking him, and in attacking sequences, exchange with the young Brazilian to great effect.
He will also be coming into a club with a very passionate fanbase that is almost like PSG’s if he chooses Arsenal.
The Kroenke family could step in if need be as they have the financial might. However, because Arsenal as a club operates on a strict financial model, this is an unlikely transfer.
One thing that Arsenal fans can rest their hopes on is Mbappe’s unpredictability. He has made many unique decisions in his career to date and no onlooker is putting it past him to shock the world once again.
Liverpool
Liverpool will be losing Jürgen Klopp at the end of the season, which already halves their chances of getting Kylian Mbappe. The German tactician has wanted the Frenchman at Anfield for the last three seasons. Liverpool were persistent in their pursuit of the player for this reason despite all signs pointing to him choosing Real Madrid.
Now that Klopp will be leaving, they may not have the incentive to expend all their resources in purchasing Mbappe. However, there is a likelihood of Mohamed Salah exiting the club shortly. Liverpool could be forced to reignite their interest in Mbappe for this reason.
Salah has served them for seven years as well and at 31, is expected to move on soon. Interest from Saudi clubs in the player remains strong and should Liverpool accept any of the offers, they could use the funds to go after Mbappe to replace the Egyptian.