This summer’s most sensational soap opera in the European market? It’s none other than the love-hate saga of Mbappé and Paris Saint-Germain. On August 24th, Beijing time, the media first reported that Mbappé was set to announce his departure from Paris Saint-Germain to join Real Madrid after the weekend’s Ligue 1 match. Later, Sky Sports revealed that the French prodigy is in talks to renew his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Suddenly, people couldn’t determine if Mbappé is staying or leaving, and the only thing certain is that his reputation has taken a hit…

The Mbappé departure drama actually began last year. Before the 2021/22 season had even ended, Real Madrid was already closely linked with Mbappé. Authoritative media outlets reported that the Frenchman was moving to the Galácticos, almost reaching the brink of being officially announced. So, what happened? French President Macron personally intervened to retain him, and Paris Saint-Germain kept conceding and increasing their offer, sparing no effort to keep Mbappé with them.

Thus began the “midway change of heart” story, where Mbappé renewed his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. The French champions staged a grand signing event that rivalled their championship celebrations. Meanwhile, on the Real Madrid side, from Florentino Pérez to the fans, there was immense anger, with vows that “Mbappé will never be signed”. However, the world of competitive sports is always pragmatic. Last year’s drama was just a prelude to this summer’s plot. In the short span of a year, Mbappé is once again entangled with Real Madrid, entering the second season of “Mbappé’s Parisian Retention”.

In fact, in June this year, Mbappé had already made it clear that he wouldn’t renew his contract or leave. He made it clear that he intends to see out his contract until its expiry next year and then pursue his “Galactic King dream”. Of course, this wasn’t acceptable to the Paris Saint-Germain owners, as they had invested money and provided him with power. Would it be possible that, in the end, he would leave with nothing? The club officially stated that if he didn’t renew or transfer, he’d be left on the bench for the upcoming season.

But Mbappé was undeterred by this. Even when the Saudis offered a win-win deal, he remained unmoved – at the time, Riyadh’s Al Nassr was ready to splash a billion to secure Mbappé. This way, Saudi Arabia would gain prestige, Paris Saint-Germain would recoup the transfer fee, and the player would earn a fortune, and a year later, he could still join Real Madrid seamlessly. But Mbappé declined. With the European Championship coming up next year, he wanted to be in his best form to conquer the continent.

-Germain this season. As for how he’ll seek his departure next, no one can predict. The story has had its first season, second season – will there be a third season?