Could Chelsea really sign Kylian Mbappe?! Thrilling, worthwhile but surely an impossibility

This could feasibly be the only chance Chelsea ever have to sign Mbappe at his peak. Whether or not he moves elsewhere first, he is destined to join Real Madrid at some stage - the club he obsessed over as a boy.

However, while Los Blancos are financially stable enough to purchase the Frenchman this summer, those in the Bernabeu hierarchy would surely prefer to wait a year and sign him on an albeit costly free transfer upon the expiry of his PSG contract.

That provides Chelsea with a window of opportunity - even if that window is only open the slightest crack. If they can somehow put together a package that is acceptable for both PSG and the player, they will hope he becomes enamoured with the club, life in London and the Premier League, and defers his Real Madrid destiny for a few years.

Suffice to say, after just over a year as Chelsea co-owner and a period as acting sporting director, Boehly's track record with big-money transfers leaves a lot to be desired. But pursuing a superstar of Mbappe's calibre - a man who is comfortably among the top three players on the planet - is entirely different.

While there was risk attached to splurging huge sums on relatively unproven players such as Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, Mbappe guarantees success. Indeed, he could well be the difference between Europa League and Champions League qualification for a team like Chelsea next season in this transitional period, elevating those around him and doubtless providing the kind of prolific goalscoring that the Blues have been sorely lacking.

If the opportunity arises to sign one of the world's best players in their peak years, you simply have to seize it, and the west Londoners have shown in the recent past that they have the finances and ruthlessness to make waves in the transfer market.

Needless to say, Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino would be in favour of a reunion with a player he managed during his time in the French capital. He was coy on the links to Mbappe, though, saying recently: “I think in our past we were at Paris Saint-Germain with Kylian and think I need to be conscious that I cannot talk. Everything you talk is too much noise. It is a situation that is very delicate and one they need to fix in Paris with Kylian. For our side I have nothing to say.

"We are working on our reality, our reality is different. From my side, nothing to say, only to support them. I hope they find a solution for both sides. It is a club that I love because I was a player, a captain and a coach. With Kylian we created a very good relationship, I hope they can find the best solution for both sides."

As it stands, it's not exactly clear how Chelsea plan to finance what would be a sensational deal for Mbappe, or indeed if they actually plan to take him on loan for a year. It has been reported that Boehly is trying to cobble together a player-plus-cash offer, but there are surely very few players who are both desirable to PSG and expendable to Chelsea; Reece James is untouchable, there is no way the Premier League side would be willing to part with Enzo, Levi Colwill is set to sign a new contract and Wesley Fofana has a long-term injury.

Perhaps the Blues are already willing to cut their losses on Mudryk if it opens up the possibility of signing Mbappe, and Hakim Ziyech could well come back into the equation following his infamous failed transfer to Parc des Princes in January. Outcast Romelu Lukaku is another player who could be of interest, having been linked with the French giants in the past.

One significant argument against signing Mbappe is his now established reputation as PSG's enfant terrible. Countless public tantrums and jibes at his own team have led to a complete breakdown in relations between player and club, culminating in him leaving as a pariah rather than a hero. Such is his disdain for his current employers, he is even willing to sit on the bench and wait to leave in a year.

PSG haven't helped themselves at times, but Mbappe's ego seems to have inflated to the extent that he genuinely feels he is bigger than Les Parisiens - and, indeed, as a brand there is arguably some truth to that.

Chelsea have a complex recent history with so-called player power, and Mbappe is the embodiment of that. It has been claimed that one of the reasons behind the Blues' comprehensive summer clear-out is to redress the influence of the playing staff, with several senior figures already moved on.

As much as he would be a guaranteed success on the pitch, for a club that is somewhat in the wilderness and needs to work its way back to greatness, signing one of the biggest egos in the modern game could prove to be counterproductive to their long-term plans off it.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, though, there is a plethora of reasons why this transfer almost certainly won't come to fruition - despite Boehly's best efforts. Chief among them is that Mbappe is rumoured to already have an agreement in place over personal terms for his dream move to Real Madrid. The 24-year-old is supposedly set to pocket a €160 million (£137m/$175m) signing-on fee should he elect to hold out and join them next summer.

Then, of course, there is the fact that Chelsea are unable to offer Champions League football next season, or indeed any form of European competition. It's well documented that it's Mbappe's dream to win the Champions League, but the Blues will hope that his willingness to effectively miss a season of action with PSG means he would be willing to forgo his aspirations at Stamford Bridge, for the time being at least.

There is Financial Fair Play (FFP) to consider, too. The Blues are already on UEFA's watchlist and are in grave danger of failing to stay within the Premier League's three-year limit on losses of £35m ($44.6m) or more. As they attempt to balance the books with their ongoing firesale, signing Mbappe for an astronomical fee to an astronomical salary would surely be counterintuitive - indeed, it would blow their newly-formed wage structure out of the water.

Relations with PSG aren't at their best, either, following the aforementioned debacle surrounding Ziyech's proposed January deadline day switch to Parc des Princes. Chelsea are alleged to have failed to submit their paperwork on time due to an admin error, infuriating both the player and PSG.

Finally, there is the cost of the transfer; though the forward rejected them, competition from Saudi club Al-Hilal, who offered a €300m (£257m/$329m) transfer fee and a €700m (£599m/$768m) salary, could well price Boehly out of a marquee move. There are surely no players they could offer in part-exchange to change that.