According to reports, Kylian Mbappe has confirmed his decision to stay at PSG, despite interest from Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappé isn’t going anywhere, as it turns out.

Despite requesting a summer move last year and leaving his PSG contract to expire when it was denied, Mbappé has allegedly stated that he intends to stay with the Ligue 1 club, ignoring Real Madrid—at least for the time being.

According to ESPN‘s Julien Laurens and Rodrigo Faez, Mbappé informed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez of his choice and also informed PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino and his teammates of his plans. He is expected to sign a new three-year deal that will last until 2025, according to the Associated Press.

The decision caps a year-long process that nearly came to a halt last summer when Madrid attempted to wrest Mbappé from PSG during the transfer window. Despite having a year left on his contract, Mbappé acknowledged that he had requested a move. He could have signed a pre-contract with Real Madrid as early as January 1 if he had wished to completely commit. Instead, he kept his promise, focused on the PSG season and deferring a decision on his future until the conclusion of the season, while the Parisian club made attempts to persuade him to stay for the long haul.

Mbappé told L’Équipe last fall, “I remained and I’m extremely delighted.” “At no time during the season will you hear something like, ‘You didn’t let me go, therefore I’m going to relax.’ I have much too much passion for football and far too much respect for the club and myself to relax even for one game. In my case, we haven’t talked about a renewal in a month and a half, two months, since I told them I wanted to quit.
“I’ve been around long enough in football to know that yesterday’s truth isn’t always the same as today’s or tomorrow’s. I would not have believed it if someone told me Messi was going to play for PSG, so you never know.

“Considering I planned to leave this summer, we’re a long way from committing to remain.” I’m not going to act hypocritically…. This summer, I made it plain that I intended to resign and leave the club in the best possible position to bring in my replacement.”
In the end, no replacement will be required, at least not this summer. Mbappé turned down a move to PSG, despite the fact that he had apparently wanted to play for the club since he was a child. A shot of Mbappé sitting in his boyhood bedroom, which was adorned with posters of Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Real Madrid, became popular a few years ago.

Meanwhile, Mbappé remains at PSG, where he joins Lionel Messi and Neymar in the world’s most star-studded offensive triumvirate. Mbappé was the team’s skipper and most prolific player this season, topping Ligue 1 in goals (25) and assists (17) on his way to being named league Player of the Year.

Despite the fact that he only turned 23 in December, his trophy cabinet is already stuffed, with France’s 2018 World Cup victory being the crowning triumph. With his country, he has also won the UEFA Nations League. He won a Ligue 1 title with Monaco and then four more with PSG, in addition to seven more domestic titles.

But Champions League triumph has eluded PSG, with the club losing in the final of the pandemic-affected 2019–20 season to Bayern Munich and then most recently to Real Madrid, when Karim Benzema’s 17-minute hat trick knocked the team out. He’s staying to help PSG win their first European title, while the team that sought to recruit him will compete for their 14th on his home turf.

Reports, supposition, denials, and public posturing have all been traded in this drama. On Friday, it was reported that both PSG and Real Madrid had made huge financial offers, leaving the decision to a personal one. PSG and its numerous high-ranking executives insisted throughout that they would do whatever it took to achieve their goals.