Earlier this week, Kylian Mbappe finally told Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, of his intention to leave the club at the end of the current season.
That announcement was believed to have been followed by a similar one from Mbappe to his team-mates.
So, his story in the French capital is finally over, and though it hasn’t been officially announced yet, the smart money is on the striker ending up at La Liga giants, Real Madrid.
For Al-Khelaifi and PSG, there’s no point dwelling on the decision. The sooner that they can move on and identify targets, the better.
It won’t just be in attack that the club will concentrate their efforts either, given the cost saving on Mbappe will mean they can strengthen elsewhere too.
“PSG will be looking to strengthen in various areas this summer but I don’t like inventing names, so trust me – mentioning names now in February means 90% inventing because nothing is advanced at this moment guys,” Fabrizio Romano said in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
“For sure we can mention players appreciated by PSG. For example Leny Yoro at Lille, Bernardo Silva was on the list last summer for PSG so let’s see if they return on that one.
“Also Victor Osimhen and Rafael Leão are well known by club director Campos who signed them at Lille, but at the moment there are no concrete negotiations.
“It will take time.”
For both Leao and Osimhen, you’re arguably talking about a world record fee to land either player, though that won’t frighten the Ligue Un outfit.
In fact, and though it might not seem it at the moment, essentially trading Mbappe for three or four new players could be a blessing for Luis Enrique next season.
It would certainly give him some different options rather than an over-reliance on the World Cup winner too.