Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United? Where would Kylian Mbappe go after Paris Saint-Germain?

A huge bombshell dropped on Tuesday afternoon as reports in both Spain and France came out saying that PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe wants to leave the club, and the sooner the better.

After spending most of the 2021-22 season openly flirting with Real Madrid, only to sign a blockbuster new deal with the Parisians at the last moment, it seems that once more Mbappe wants out of the French capital.

Despite a couple of key factors it still seems as if Madrid are the frontrunners for Mbappe. They can afford him and he fits perfectly into Florentino Perez’s aggressive policy of signing the best young players in the world.

It is worth mentioning that these reports have said that whilst PSG are willing, if reluctant, to negotiate an exit for Mbappe, they are steadfast in their policy that they will not negotiate with Madrid, such is the breakdown in the relationship between the two clubs.

The other potential issue is that Madrid spent the money they had earmarked for Mbappe on Aurelien Tchouameni, although it seems likely they will be able to find it from somewhere. They do also have Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema in Mbappe’s favoured positions, but again that should be something they can work out.

But, just in case PSG do drag their heels in, we have created a list of clubs who could sign the World Cup winner.

The obvious frontrunners. They lost out on both Mbappe and Erling Haaland last summer and elected not to sign another forward, seeming to back themselves to be in position to sign either of the pair (or maybe both) in 2024. Now the time frame has been shifted forward with Mbappe losing patience in Paris.

Mbappe wants to play alongside a striker, someone who will facilitate for him. It’s a role that Benzema played expertly for Cristiano Ronaldo; will he do that again for Mbappe given the form he has been in during the past season and a bit? And where does that leave Vinicius? The jewel in Madrid’s crown, he doesn’t necessarily want to play second fiddle.

The other favourite at the moment, even if they are still quite a bit behind Real Madrid. Mbappe has spoken very favourably about Liverpool in the past and clearly has a massive amount of respect for the club and Anfield.

But Liverpool are not well off financially compared to the other clubs on this list and this signing would be EXTREMELY off base for the way they do their business. The only way this feels it can work is if Liverpool offer one of their massive earners as part of the deal, most likely Mohamed Salah. It feels as if Mbappe would love playing with Roberto Firmino, a lesser version of Benzema, but the Brazilian is out of contract in the summer, and where would that leave Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Todd Boehly during his time as Chelsea owner, it’s that he likes making a statement. Nearly £300m spent in a bid to catch up to Manchester City and you get the feeling that if there is a genuine race for Mbappe then Chelsea will have to be involved.

Does the idea of playing for Graham Potter get Mbappe excited? Realistically we don’t know that but the idea of London and some of the weapons in the Chelsea attack? That might do it. We all know Chelsea are missing a striker, and again in Kai Havertz have a nice support option.

Perhaps a slight wildcard option here but if there are some pretty reputable German outlets reporting Bayern Munich’s interest in Harry Kane you have to think there would be interest in Mbappe. It would be far outside Bayern’s comfort zone in terms of price but with their immense commercial revenue it may well be possible, even if it means throwing in a player to make it work in terms of finances.

Would Julian Nagelsmann and Mbappe clash? It feels inevitable, especially given the former’s preference on system over players. But with Bayern struggling (and Nagelsmann under pressure) they might think that a statement is needed.

Again, another wildcard. But when a player of Mbappe’s quality becomes available you know that Manchester United will be sniffing around. Cristiano Ronaldo seems like the obvious player to put into the deal and Mbappe should fit far better in Erik ten Hag’s system.

But realistically are United that much of a pull anymore? Some players still want to play at Old Trafford but a player of Mbappe’s quality? It’s honestly unclear at this stage.