France captain Kylian Mbappe is set to join Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer, after Los Blancos ended its 2023-24 season with the UEFA Champions League title on Saturday, according to reports from France.
The forward had taken to social media to announce his exit from the Ligue 1 side but had kept his next destination a secret. His last game for the club came in Saturday’s final at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy, with first-half strikes from Ousmane Dembele and Fabian Ruiz securing a win for PSG.
“.. I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks. I will play my last game as Parc des Princes on Sunday,” Mbappe said in a video statement on X.
Having joined PSG six years ago from AS Monaco, Mbappe became the highest-ever goalscorer at the club, netting 255 goals in 305 appearances.
“It’s a lot of emotions. (For) many years I had the chance and great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world which allowed me to travel here,” Mbappe added.
“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that I will leave the country, France, the league and the Championship. But I think, I needed this, a new challenge after seven years.”