As noises continue to grow that Real Madrid might consider a move for Erling Haaland, Paris Saint-Germain’s continue to come up with reasons to persuade Kylian Mbappe to remain at the club.
Mbappe is allowed to discuss terms with whichever club he likes in 27 days, and Real Madrid are heavy favourites for his signature. Nevertheless, PSG are not giving up hope of persuading him to remain in Paris beyond the end of his current deal in 2024.
Two ways in which they will try to sell the idea to Mbappe are related to his legacy. With the Paris 2024 Olympics on the horizon in late July/August, PSG will not put any obstacles in his way to playing for France. Clubs must agree to release players for the Olympics, and teams can only have three over-23s in their side, but Mbappe is desperate to lead his side to gold in his home city.
Secondly, Mbappe has just scored his 179th goal in Ligue 1, which leaves him 120 short of the record, currently belonging to Delio Onnis, who played for Reims, Monaco, Tours and Toulon in the 1970s and 1980s. It would require several more seasons for Mbappe, who is 24 now, but is certainly not out of reach, as noted by Diario AS.
Ultimately, the prospect of becoming the first player to bring the Champions League to Paris is probably the largest motivational tool they can implement in their talks with Mbappe. Only Olympique Marseille have ever achieved European triumph at the top level from France, and managing to be the face of the first to do it for PSG is an attractive prospect, especially for a Paris native.
