Kylian Mbappé tells PSG he will leave Club next summer

First it lost Lionel Messi. Now Paris St.-Germain, the Qatar-backed French football champions, could face the loss of one of the game’s biggest stars: Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé, one of the world’s most marketable athletes and the cornerstone of the club’s plans to rebuild its identity around a core of top French talent, has informed PSG in a letter that he will not renew his contract when it expires in June , according to an executive familiar with the talks between Mbappé and PSG The executive was not authorized to speak publicly about the talks given their sensitivity.

Mbappé’s decision could force PSG to consider a move it would rather avoid: selling Mbappé’s playing rights as early as this summer, rather than risk losing him for nothing when his contract expires next year. If the club gets offers for Mbappé, PSG could expect a prize of more than $200 million that could eclipse the world record for a player.

PSG’s top officials were surprised by Mbappé’s letter, according to the director, and learned of it after first being contacted by a French news outlet who claimed to have received a copy before it was sent to the club. A spokeswoman for Mbappé did not respond to a request for comment. PSG representatives have also not commented on the letter or how the club was made aware of Mbappé’s intentions. reported first by the French sports newspaper L’Equipe.

PSG had faced a similar crisis over Mbappé’s future last summer, when the striker, as his contract expired, was on the brink of joining Real Madrid after a last-ditch effort, and hard cash, persuaded him to buy a . to sign a new contract that kept him in Paris.

That contract was a two-year contract, with a player option for a third year. In his letter, a copy of which was seen by The New York Times, Mbappé told the team he will not exercise the option, meaning his current contract, and most likely his partnership with PSG, will end after next season – unless PSG find a team willing to pay to acquire him sooner.

And again, the most likely destination for Mbappé is Real Madrid, the Spanish club that was Mbappé’s favorite when he was a boy, offering him the richest contract in his history a year ago.