The future of Kylian Mbappe could be set to undergo a major new twist after Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel ambitiously suggested his side were contenders to sign the PSG superstar and beat the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool to the PSG superstar’s signature.
The future of the 24-year-old continues to dominate headlines in France as the clock ticks down on his time with Paris Saint-Germain. Now in his seventh season with the club, Mbappe has blasted in an astonishing 227 goals in just 275 appearances.
However, with his lucrative £700,000 a week deal due to expire on June 30, the player has strongly indicated he is not willing to sign an extension – leaving him free to make what will likely be the biggest free-transfer signing of all time in summer 2024.
Knowing he wouldn’t sign an extension during the summer, PSG did their utmost to try and move the player on. And while Al-Ittihad were seemingly prepared to offer him a one-year deal worth an eye-watering £3.2m a week, Mbappe was not willing to turn his back on elite-level European football – even for just one season – to move to Saudi Arabia.
Controversially, PSG now look destined to lose their star assets as a free agent next summer with Real Madrid strongly fancied to secure his signing.
And while Los Blancos have recently released another fresh statement denying reports they have already agreed a lucrative free-transfer arrangement with Mbappe, it is widely expected he will turn out for the Spanish giants next season.
To aid their prospects – and knowing Mbappe will require a hefty signing-on fee, as well as the biggest financial package in their history – Real Madrid are likely to keep their powder dry and resist all other signings in the upcoming January window.
A move to any of those four Premier League clubs would be little short of astonishing, but given the financial pull of the Premier League, it is not a move you can rule out at this stage.
However, a new suitor in the form of Bayern Munich is now emerging as possible contenders for his signature.
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel knows Mbappe well from his time in charge relationship at the French capital and enjoyed a strong with the player.
Now Tuchel has been asked about the possibility of a reunion in Bavaria. And Tuchel, although perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek, was not exactly ruling out a possible move.
In fact, some might say Tuchel was actively endorsing it in his interview with Canal-Plus:”Mbappe free next year? Yes, He will play for us. Kylian is Kylian, he is very intelligent. We had a good relationship. If he wants to come to Bayern, I will go and get him myself. When he wants something, he gets it.”
Anyone who knows Tuchel will understand the Bayern boss is probably being more than a little facetious in response to the Mbappe question.
Or maybe, the Bayern boss was conjuring up the perfect double bluff with Bayern a genuine candidate to land Mbappe’s services next summer.
Either way, his comments create the somewhat-dreamy attacking partnership alongside England striker Harry Kane, who of course made the move himself to Bavaria over the summer.
Kane has adjusted to life in Germany with irresistible ease, scoring 21 goals in 16 games across all competitions, a tally that includes 17 in 11 Bundesliga matches.
The prospect of Mbappe playing alongside him and forming an incredible attacking triumvirate alongside another in-form star in Leroy Sane would simply be amazing to watch. And you do wonder just how many goals they would score between them over a season if that became a reality.
As it stands, Tuchel is the only manager who has officially ‘declared’ an intention to sign Mbappe next summer.
In the meantime, Mbappe continues to do what Mbappe does best, with the player scoring a hat-trick in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Reims.
However, PSG coach Luis Enrique remains far from happy at Mbappe and issued a firm reminder to the player about the standards he expects.