The much-talked-about Kylian Mbappe (25) will not be joining Real Madrid (Spain) after all, but will remain with his club Paris Saint-Germain (France).

“In recent days, there were rumors that Real were preparing a final offer to sign Mbappe, but this is not the case,” said Fansided, citing a report from the BBC. However, this is not true,” according to the BBC. This is a direct confirmation that Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has no plans to sign Mbappe. According to the outlet, Ancelotti was asked about further signings for the remainder of the season and said “100% not”. Thus, Mbappe will remain at PSG.

Throughout this summer’s transfer window, Mbappe has been linked with Real. It’s always been a rumor, but the transfer speculation has been more intense than ever due to Mbappe’s contract situation. Last year, Mbappe and PSG signed a two-year contract with an option for a one-year extension. However, Mbappe announced that he would not be exercising the option. In effect, he had one year left on his contract. PSG could have lost Mbappe for nothing, so they listened to offers.

But Mbappe didn’t want to play for another club. Earlier, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal had tried to sign Mbappe for a huge amount of money. Al-Hilal offered €300 million in transfer fees, which PSG accepted, and promised Mbappe a total of €700 million in salary, including bonuses. But Mbappe refused to negotiate.

With nothing going their way, PSG and Mbappe drifted further apart. Mbappe was dropped from PSG’s Asia Tour roster. Many PSG players, including “golden boy” Lee Kang-in, traveled between Japan and South Korea for their preseason. Mbappe, however, stayed in Paris to train on his own. Mbappe was even excluded from first-team training.

At this point, it looked like Mbappe was headed to Real. Local media even reported that Mbappe was already looking for a new home in Madrid, Spain.

However, things changed dramatically and Mbappe stayed at PSG. After Neymar moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, with whom he reportedly had a rocky relationship, Mbappe seemed to open up. PSG was receptive. Mbappe returned to first-team training and even scored a penalty against Toulouse on Oct. 20. A move to Real was off the table again. It seems that Real have grown tired of the constant changes and have given up. In the end, they decided not to sign Mbappe this summer.

With Lee Kang-in out with a thigh injury, Mbappe’s performance has become even more important, and he’s expected to start against Reims on Sunday. French outlets such as 90MIN believe that Mbappe will form a trio with ‘new arrivals’ Ousmane Dembele and Gonzalo Hamus.

A move to Real isn’t completely out of the question. Mbappe has yet to sign a new contract with PSG. At this rate, Mbappe will leave the club next summer as a free agent. He will be free to sign with another club. Currently, Real does not have a frontline striker who can lead the team in goals. This summer, veteran striker Karim Benzema moved to Al Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), leaving a void. If their offensive struggles this season are serious, Real could be more aggressive in their pursuit of Mbappe.

The source added: “Real obviously want to get things done in their favor. They will have the opportunity to sign Mbappe as a free agent. If Mbappe leaves PSG, he will most likely head to Real.” 스포츠토토