It took nearly three years, two near-misses, and at least one public passive-aggressive statement, but Kylian Mbappe finally seems poised to join Real Madrid. His threat to not extend his Paris Saint-Germain contract at the end of the 2023-24 season has worked.
A number of outlets, including ESPN, Le Parisien and Fabrizio Romano, have reported similar versions of the same story: Mbappe wants to call Santiago Bernabeu his home from next season. That's good news for Los Blancos, of course. They are getting one of the best players in the world, and someone who might yet become an all-time great. For all of the drama, this is PSG's all-time top goalscorer, France captain, and only the second player to have scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final.
PSG, too, might benefit. Mbappe has agreed to depart on good terms, pledging to ensure that his hometown team get some financial compensation for his departure. And the potential PR disaster of it all has been reasonably managed, as Mbappe has performed very well this season, and could yet leave Paris with at least one more trophy to his name. If this is a farewell tour, it's not a bad one.
Still, the Mbappe saga isn't quite over. Past events have shown that he's not necessarily the most predictable presence within the world game, and any number of things could go wrong between now and July. GOAL takes a look at the necessary hurdles that need to be cleared to ensure that this saga finally comes to an end this summer...
