04 January 2024 , 11:47
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Kylian Mbappe has insisted he will not rush a decision over whether or not to leave Paris Saint-Germain as Real Madrid once again court his signature.
The France international, 25, has been heavily pursued by the Spanish giants for years and almost moved to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2022 before a late change of heart saw him recommit to PSG instead.
However, the third year of the contract Mbappe signed back then is optional, meaning he will be a free agent in the summer. The striker is also free to speak with clubs from overseas this month with a view to signing a pre-contract agreement.
Despite speculation that Mbappe will now finally join Los Blancos, he told reporters he has not made any decision over his future as of yet following PSG's 2-0 win over Toulouse on Wednesday night.
He said: "No, to start with I'm very motivated by this year. It's very important. We have titles to win and we have already won one.
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"I haven't made my decision yet. I haven't made a choice. With the agreement I had with the president in the summer, my decision is not important as we managed to protect all the parties and preserved the serenity of the club for the challenges to come, which is the most important. So we will say that it [the decision] is secondary."
Despite Mbappe's late U-turn in the summer of 2022, Real Madrid remain determined to sign him and are preparing their latest attempt to lure him to Spain. However, a fresh report from The Athletic has outlined that Real have given Mbappe a mid-January deadline to decide whether or not he will be joining them.
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Mbappe is due to be a free agent in the summer and is now free to talk to clubs from overseas (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)The report goes on to detail that although contact between the two parties has never ceased since Mbappe's decision to stay at PSG, some within the Bernabeu felt betrayed by the striker's late change of heart.
It is also noted that the deal which was offered to Mbappe 18 months ago is likely to change significantly given that Real's spending power has been impacted by the rising costs of renovation works at the Bernabeu.
The club are also making a contrived effort to keep their wage bill under control in a bid to keep the peace in the dressing room and Mbappe would reportedly expect to earn double the amount stars at the club currently receive.