Todd Boehly might be able to hand Kylian Mbappe his preferred No 7 shirt if the Frenchman signs for Chelsea. Mbappe has been linked with the Blues after deciding he will not extend his contract with Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea face competition from Europe’s biggest clubs for the elite attacker. Real Madrid are known to be long-term admirers, having tried to sign him on at least two separate occasions.
But Boehly could lure the 24-year-old to West London as a marquee signing for Mauricio Pochettino, despite spending over £600million since his takeover a little over a year ago. And he might have the best present for the prolific star.
Mbappe – who trialled at Chelsea as a teenager – has worn the number seven shirt for most of his PSG career. He spent a season wearing 29, a digit he had worn at Monaco, before switching to seven ahead of the 2018/19 season.
At Chelsea, that shirt is currently occupied by N’Golo Kante. However, Mbappe’s France team-mate is reported to be completing a move to Saudi Arabia in the coming weeks.
The midfielder could link up with another Frenchman, Karim Benzema, at Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad. The club are managed by former Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo and pipped Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr to the league title last season.
Kante’s departure would leave the No 7 shirt vacant. Mbappe – who has been linked to Chelsea by The Times – would surely jump at the opportunity to wear the number at Stamford Bridge, where previous occupants include Ramires, Andriy Shevchenko and France boss Didier Deschamps.
Mbappe has engaged in a public war of words with PSG over the last few days. It was initially reported that the Ligue 1 champions were only made aware of Mbappe unwillingness to extend his contract when he sent a letter to the club’s president this week.
However, the striker took to social media on Tuesday to hit out at those claims. He tweeted: “PSG has been informed since July 15, 2022, of my decision not to extend beyond 2024, and the letter that was sent only served to confirm what I had already told them.”
PSG fought off competition from Madrid to sign Mbappe to a two-year deal last summer. They have now hit out at their star player, saying: “It is emphatically untrue to say Mbappe’s team have not been involved in renewal discussions.”
Manchester United’s Qatari bidders are also expected to register an interest in Mbappe. Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani is expecting to hear whether his bid to buy the club from the Glazer family will be successful.
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