On Thursday, PSG’s megastar Kylian Mbappe told the club he is leaving in the summer to end speculation that has been raging for months.
Here at SBOTOP, along with sports fans around the world, we’ve been watching this story closely. And now it seems like the end is getting closer, as Mbappe looks set to leave Ligue 1 and, unless there is another major twist in the story, he’ll be a Real Madrid player next season.
The 25-year-old’s contract at the Parc des Princes expires in the summer and, though he has an option to extend by a year, the striker has decided to take on a new challenge.
PSG have a huge lead at the top of the table, and the Ligue 1 2024 betting odds
Say that Mbappe will be leaving the club with another league winners medal.
But he is in the prime of his career, and the France striker feels he is ready to take on La Liga’s finest. And he must also feel he has a better chance of European glory away from France, despite the ambitions of PSG’s Qatari owners.
He was heavily linked with Los Blancos last summer, and Mbappe missed PSG’s pre-season tour, but he has been as committed as ever this season, scoring 20 goals and making four assists and he’s a shoo-in for the Ligue 1 Golden Boot.
The extension clause in his contract means that Mbappe’s departure will bring a transfer fee to the Paris giants, which will soften the blow for the club. With Neymar and Lionel Messi having already departed the Parc des Princes, there is a new era dawning at PSG.
While there is now some clarity regarding Mbappe’s future, the negotiations will be fierce, with the star’s tenacious mother, Fayza Lamari, fighting his corner.
Round 22 Action
This weekend’s action starts in Lyon, where second-placed Nice visit the rapidly improving Lyon.
Following the sacking of Fabio Grosso at the end of November, academy coach Pierre Sage took over as head coach. After suffering two defeats, away to RC Lens and Marseille, he has led Lyon to five wins from seven league games, including victories over Monaco and Marseille.
After that superb set of Ligue 1 2024 results, Lyon now sit 13th in the league table, and they will fancy this home game against Nice.
The visitors will be very hard to break down since they have conceded just 14 goals in 21 games. But then, they have only scored 22 so a low-scoring game looks on the cards in Lyon. But former Arsenal star Alexandre Lacazette will be on the goal trail, having scored 11 already for Les Gones this season.
PSG play in Nantes on Saturday, and with an 11-point lead, the Parisiens will go there without any pressure, and maybe with a little more clarity now that Mbappe has made his position crystal clear.
Nantes sit just a place above Lyon and have lost four from the last six, but they come into the match on the back of a 2-1 win away to Toulouse. Mostafa Mohamed scored Nantes’ opener in that game, and he’s a player to watch with seven goals for the campaign so far.
In the race for the Champions League places, third-placed AS Monaco are at home to Toulouse on Sunday and, after winning 3-2 away to Nice last weekend, they will be full of confidence.
If Lyon manage to frustrate Nice on Friday night, then Monaco can move into second place if they win. With the firepower of Wissam Ben Yedder, Alexandr Golovin, and Takumi Minamino in their ranks, the hosts could well give Toulouse a difficult afternoon.
Breton-based Brest are the surprise packages in the French top-flight this season and are currently flying high in fourth place, but their spectacular run has slowed recently with three consecutive draws.
And on Sunday, they face a tough test when they host Marseille. The aristocrats of Marseille are down in eighth place and seven points behind Les Pirates, and they had a gruelling trip to Donetsk on Thursday night when they met Shakhtar in the Europa League, conceding a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw. Another ex-Arsenal player, Pierre Emerick-Aubamayang, scored against Shakhtar, and he has been OM’s biggest threat this season, scoring six goals and making seven assists so far this season. But Marseilles are without a league win in five and the pressure is mounting.
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