The Kylian Mbappe transfer saga has been going on for quite a while now, with Spanish league leaders Real Madrid chasing him for the last few years. Initial news confirmed that the French player was finally set to leave PSG at the end of the current season as a free agent and if reports were to be believed, the next probable destination was certainly Real Madrid.
Recently, though, there have been many reports linking Mbappe to other clubs like Arsenal and Barcelona but the reality of these reports is yet to be verified. But recent reports have brought out a totally different possibility for the transfer, as it has been reported that PSG and Barcelona could do a swap deal between Kylian Mbappe and Gavi in the upcoming summer window.
Is a swap deal between Kylian Mbappe and Gavi likely?
Kylian Mbappe is set to be on the market as a free agent in the upcoming summer window after he expressed to his current club, PSG, his decision to leave at the end of his contract this season, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Initially, there were huge speculations regarding Real Madrid, but the reported complications in the deal due to the salary have fueled the fire for links to other clubs in Europe. Very recently, Arsenal’s boss was asked about the Frenchmen’s links to Arsenal and the manager said that it would be a great team if Kylian Mbappe decided to join his side but it is currently a matter between the club owners and the player, not him.
Recent reports have also linked Mbappe to Real Madrid’s rival Barcelona, stating that the club could sell Frenkie de Jong and Araujo to finance the signing of the Frenchmen but Barca sporting director Deco was quick to clarify these rumors, stating that doing that would only hurt the team, not make it stronger.
In the new reports that have emerged recently in the news, there is shown a possibility of a swap deal of Kylian Mbappe and Gavi between PSG and Barcelona but that seems much more unlikely considering PSG doesn’t have the right to do so anymore as Mbappe has entered his last 6 months of the contract and Barcelona is in no way going to do so as Barca president already considers these youngsters like Pedri and Gavi as Barcelona future and no market opportunity can ever opt the club to sell them to anyone else.
Considering the above facts and the recent Xavi interview, in which he also expressed the same opinion as the Barca Board, there is little to no possibility of any swap move happening between Kylian Mbappe and Gavi in the future.
PSG wants to sign Gavi amid Kylian Mbappe’s departure
Despite all this confusion regarding French superstar Kylian Mbappe’s possible destination post-summer, reports have stated that PSG has already accepted the fact that the star is leaving their club and has been preparing for his replacement since last December. The club has opted to sign 3 players after the Frenchman leaves, with one center-back, one left-winger, and one world-class midfielder included in the list.
Previous reports have identified AC Milan’s Rafael Leao as a possible option for the left-wing signing for PSG and it could certainly be possible considering the financial pull the French club has. The center-back signing still hangs in the balance, with no top candidate yet decided, as per reports.
But the most surprising report that came out a few hours ago is that PSG is going to target Gavi as their midfield signing option since their Spanish manager, Luis Enrique, absolutely loves the player’s physicality, stamina, determination, quality on the ball, and overflowing talent.
Although PSG could sign Gavi considering the financial backing they have from Qatar, the reports are still yet to be confirmed by any reliable source. In fact, in a recent interview, when Barcelona manager Xavi was asked about the PSG links to Gavi, he stated:
“Gavi has to stay at Barça. He’s Barça guy, he has to stay and be one of the future captains. Gavi is Barcelona’s future”.
Recent reports have also stated that Gavi is not considered for sale by Barcelona and the player himself doesn’t want to go anywhere else. He wants to keep playing for Barcelona, the club of his life.
These varying and contradicting reports have certainly confused all the fans around the world. Barcelona fans are currently in the worst state of confusion, shock, and dismay and don’t want their star youngster, who also won the Golden Boy Award in 2022, to leave.
Do you think PSG could sign Gavi from Barcelona? Or is Gavi going to continue to play for the club of his life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
