With the official announcement of the departure of Kylian Mbappé (25) to Real Madrid expected soon, Paris Saint-German have begun planning for the future without him, reports L’Équipe.
The French star’s departure to the Spanish capital has been a long time coming, the saga extending over several summer transfer windows and now looking to have finally reached its end. The noises from the Parc des Princes have been of a cultural overhaul, a departure from what Club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi referred to as the “Bling Bling” culture that pervaded the club until last summer when Neymar and Lionel Messi left the club.
According to an unnamed economist cited in L’Équipe, Mbappé’s departure will be a litmus test of how far the PSG brand has come:
“This is a great challenge for PSG in order to know if everything the club has put in place over the past few years will allow it to maintain its notoriety and its economic power”
Another source states:
“The problem for PSG is that they haven’t won the Champions League, which is necessary in order to build a durable international reputation. They have managed to created a strong brand thanks to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, but to continue to grow without possessing that star, they need to win.”
PSG currently sit 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1, are in the quarter finals of the Coupe de France and have a 2-0 aggregrate lead going into the second leg of their UEFA Champions League clash with Real Sociedad.
GFFN | Jack McArdle