Chelsea have reportedly opened talks with Paris Saint-Germain for a sensational player-plus-cash deal for Kylian Mbappe.
The French star, 24, has been placed on the transfer market after announcing that he would not sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes. PSG are understood to have accepted a world-record bid of £259million from Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal, however, the forward declined to discuss a contract with them despite being offered a wage package worth an eye-watering £603m-a-year.
According to The Daily Record, Chelsea have been encouraged by Kylian Mbappe’s decision to reject a move to Saudi Arabia, with co-owner Todd Boehly holding direct conversations with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi over the player’s potential transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Mbappe signed an initial two-year contract renewal with PSG last summer. Having denied to take up an optional third year on his contract through a letter to Nasser Al-Khelaifi in June, the French champions now believe that the World Cup winner has already agreed to join long-term admirers Real Madrid as a free agent next summer.
However, Real Madrid have not entered discussions with PSG over a transfer even though the French forward has been made available for sale, which should serve as an encouragement for Chelsea to table an offer for the player.
Kylian Mbappe to Chelsea—Should the Blues go all out for his signing?
New boss Mauricio Pochettino is overseeing a squad rebuild after Chelsea’s royal struggles in the Premier League last season. After losing Wesley Fofana to a serious knee injury for the majority of the upcoming campaign, Pochettino’s immediate priority is to bring in a new central defender.
Having seen the likes of N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek depart earlier in the summer transfer window, the Blues are short on depth in the midfield position as well. Pochettino would also like to bring in a central midfielder who not only helps Chelsea control games but also allows Enzo Fernandez to play higher up the pitch. Thus, he has firmly set his sights on Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
Not to forget, Chelsea did struggle to score goals last season and they are still missing a prolific forward, despite splashing huge sums on the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku. Yet, they must not pursue Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is a world-class player who would certainly improve any team he chooses to become a part of. He would be a smashing fit at Chelsea, who are in dire need of a potent goalscorer. Having worked with Pochettino at PSG, the move to Chelsea would seem appealing to the Frenchman now as well, despite the club’s lack of Champions League football next term.
However, Mbappe would not come cheap and spending the entire transfer budget on one player would not be prudent for a club like Chelsea, especially after recently trimming their wage bill by offloading a lot of deadwood. Since Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital consortium completed their £4.25 billion takeover of the club in May last year, Chelsea have made poor recruitments and burnt a lot of cash with a lack of proper blueprint apparent.
There are many other positions of the pitch the Pensioners should focus on rather than changing course and instinctively going after a mercurial superstar who has changed tact ever so often when it comes to his career. Signing Mbappe may scupper Chelsea’s new project under Pochettino and disrupt their ongoing plans of rebuilding the squad. There are many teething issues at the club and the current squad requires quality additions with perfect profiles.
Kylian Mbappe is the type of signing you make when you already have a stable squad capable of mounting a serious title challenge. Chelsea, at this moment in time, are nowhere equipped to challenge for the Premier League title. All in all, it would be in the Blues’ best interests to drop their interest in Mbappe and focus on gradually rebuilding the squad as per Pochettino’s blueprint.