'I hope he leaves, from the bottom of my heart' - Kylian Mbappe labelled a 'lost little boy' after 'stagnating' at PSG as Christophe Dugarry wills Real Madrid transfer to go through

The mercurial French forward is free to begin negotiating a contract with other clubs as his current deal with the capital side expires at the end of June. Real Madrid have always been frontrunners for his signature, with links to Mbappe dating back to the drawn-out saga of 2021, while Liverpool recently emerged as potential candidates. Amid renewed uncertainty over the 25-year-old's future in Paris, former France and Marseille forward Dugarry has called for him to leave for the benefit of the club.

The World Cup winner told RMC Sport: "I think Mbappe is stagnating today. I hope he leaves, from the bottom of my heart. I think he's becoming more and more predictable, he lacks strength and character, he disappears from games too often. He's wanted all the power, you get the feeling he's a little boy, you get the impression the suit's too big. I feel he's a bit lost, there's no sense of symbiosis. Things haven't been going well at PSG for a few months now."

While Mbappe's 18 league goals across 11 games this season - which comfortably place him top of the Ligue 1 top scorers table - would challenge Dugarry's notions of "stagnation", talk of his potential exit will undoubtedly be having a negative effect behind the scenes. This was evidenced in a recent press conference with manager Luis Enrique, who snapped at reporters when asked about Mbappe's links with Real Madrid.

Mbappe's 18 league goals for 2023-24 contributed towards a staggering 34 scored across all of 2023. According to Squawka, only Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, who joined the club from Tottenham in the summer, posted more (38).

Exit talk will continue to rage as PSG prepare for their first match after the winter break against Toulouse later on Wednesday. Regarding a potential move to Real Madrid, Mbappe has reportedly been set a mid-January deadline with which to respond, as a concrete offer from the Spanish giants appears imminent.