Subscribe
Follow Us
Paris Saint-Germain held a 1-0 lead when they entered El Bernabeu in Madrid, but they were sent packing by Los Blancos in the round of 16 after Karim Benzema tucked away three goals in the second half. The Real Madrid star came up huge for his club, leading the charge in the 3-1 win that sent PSG crashing out of the competition. The club's early exit from the Champions League is more significant than some might realize, as it all but confirms that Kylian Mbappe will be leaving over the summer.
Any chance that PSG had of convincing Mbappe to extend his stay in the French capital has just gone by the wayside after their devastating loss to Real Madrid. The fact that they were knocked out by Los Blancos is particularly crippling considering that is well-known to be Mbappe's desired destination. Paris rejected a reported $200 million offer from Real Madrid for Mbappe's services this summer, only to go on and get defeated by them in the Champions League Round of 16. Now, they're set to lose Mbappe on a free transfer, turning no profit for in his departure, and remaining without the coveted Champions League trophy.
Mbappe's contract with PSG is set to expire in June, at which point he'll be free to open negotiations with any club, who won't have to pay the French club a transfer fee for the soon-to-be free agent.
The production from Mbappe will be near impossible to replace, regardless of how much money the Parisian giants are prepared to throw at players in the summer. They've so far failed to convince the 23-year-old to extend his stay with the club, and after Wednesday's loss, it seems all but certain that Mbappe is destined for Real Madrid. While there will be a handful of options the club can approach, they'll surely be left wishing they had done more during their run through the Champions League this season.
Of course, PSG is loaded with talent beyond Mbappe, but they have failed to gel enough to see the club reach its ultimate goal. With Mbappe inching towards the exit door, PSG will have to look to press on in their endeavor towards a Champions League trophy with a different approach at striker.
That said, they'll still have to outdo Real Madrid in the competition next season, which will be made vastly more difficult by the expected addition of Mbappe.
This season for PSG, Mbappe has scored 24 goals across 34 matches in all competitions. Paris doesn't have another player who has scored double-digit goals this season, with Lionel Messi coming in second at 7 goals, only 2 of which have come in Ligue 1, the other five coming in the Champions League, though he failed to score Wednesday. Danilo Pereira and Mauro Icardi have each contributed 5 goals, while Neymar, Ander Herrera, and Idrissa Gueye have all scored 4.
Paris look on pace to hoist their fourth Ligue 1 trophy of the past five seasons and their eighth since 2013. They currently sit 12 points ahead of OGC Nice through their first 27 games in the league, though that is not the competition they were most keen on winning. Regardless of the club fares in the league, Mbappe's future was never going to be dictated by a Ligue 1 trophy, as a Champions League title was their clear goal from the onset of the season.
