Man Utd and Chelsea dealt Kylian Mbappe nightmare by UEFA as PSG exit likely

Manchester United and Chelsea have been dealt a Kylian Mbappe nightmare due to Financial Fair Play rules, which were introduced by UEFA in 2011. The two Premier League giants would have almost certainly been in the mix to sign Mbappe in years gone by, but may have to steer clear of the wantaway Paris Saint-Germain striker this summer to ensure they comply with the current financial regulations.

Mbappe opted against joining Real Madrid to pen a new deal with PSG last May just weeks before his previous contract was due to expire. His new deal was for an initial two-year period, with the option to extend his stay in Paris by a further year.

But last month, the 24-year-old wrote a letter to his current employers to tell them he had no intentions of staying put beyond the summer of 2024. Mbappe’s transfer value is enormous and PSG are desperate to avoid losing him for free at the end of next season. And for that reason, they look set to cash in on him during the current transfer window, with figures of around £170million being reported as a potential transfer fee.

On Wednesday, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told Le Parisien: “We want him to stay but he can’t leave for free. That’s why he has to decide next week, or at most in two weeks. And if he doesn’t want to sign a new contract, the door is open.”

A move to Real Madrid still appears to be Mbappe’s most realistic destination. And the Red Devils and the Blues could be out of the transfer race already.

United spent prodigious amounts of money to bring in the likes of Casemiro, Antony and Lisandro Martinez last summer. And they have already snapped up Mason Mount during the current transfer window. In the same period they have barely raised funds from departures, with their biggest incoming transfer fee over the last eight windows coming from Leeds when the Yorkshire side signed Daniel James for £25million two summers ago.

United boss Erik ten Hag would likely be willing to ship players off this summer to assemble the squad he wants. But unless the Dutchman can sell Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho, Scott McTominay, Fred, Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek, he is unlikely to raise the cash needed to fund a move for Mbappe and stay within the boundaries of Financial Fair Play.

The same is true for Chelsea, who have completely changed their squad during the Todd Boehly era, which began last May. The amount of money the Blues have spent is quite incredible – and even though they have bolstered their coffers by selling the likes of Kai Havertz, Mount and Mateo Kovacic this summer, Boehly may still need to oversee more departures.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Levi Colwill, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Conor Gallagher could leave to net him the money needed to fund an Mbappe transfer and balance the books. But the Blues do not want to sell Colwill, who would earn them the biggest fee of the lot.

And even if they did sell all of those players, Chelsea would still face a giant task to then beat other clubs to the Frenchman’s signature.