What does Messi’s arrival at PSG portend for Mbappe’s future at the club?

Lionel Messi has rejoined with his former Barcelona teammate Neymar in an all-star assault at Paris Saint-Germain, but the question now is if Messi’s arrival will force Kylian Mbappe out of the French giants.

PSG’s objective is to have the three attackers play together in an all-star attack in the hopes of winning the Champions League for the first time, but Mbappe’s long-term future remains uncertain.

Messi just signed a two-year contract worth an estimated 35 million euros ($41 million) each year, with a third season option.

Neymar, who is 29 years old, renewed his contract with the club through 2025 in May.

On Tuesday, the top page of the Madrid-based sports newspaper AS said, “Mbappe is possible.”

“Mbappe is pushed aside by Messi’s arrival at PSG, paving the path for his entrance in Madrid.”

Mbappe has hesitated to make a hasty decision about his future, putting PSG in a delicate position.

They have no plans to sell him, but they also don’t want to let a player who paid 180 million euros ($211 million), the second-highest transfer fee in history, walk for free when his contract expires in June.

In a May interview with Canal Plus, Mbappe stated, “Everyone knows that I am strongly committed to this club.”

“However, I want to feel like I’m in a position where I can truly win, where there’s a plan in place to do so.”

PSG’s Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi stated that Mbappe was now in the greatest possible position to achieve his Champions League aspirations when asked about his future at Messi’s unveiling on Wednesday.

“Kylian is a Parisian footballer. He has a winning attitude and is very competitive. He has stated that he wants a competitive team, and there is none more competitive than this “Khelaifi explained.

“There’s no way he can do anything other than stay.”

Real need new talisman

PSG also signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Achraf Hakimi this summer, in addition to Messi.

They appear to be stronger than ever in all parts of the game, but does Mbappe believe that staying in Paris will require him to give up too much of the spotlight now that Messi has arrived?

Mbappe aspires to be the best player in the world. He is, after all, the only player of PSG’s front line who has won a World Cup.

In each of the last three seasons, the former Monaco star has been the top scorer in Ligue 1, with 27 goals in the most recent campaign.

While Neymar turned to Instagram to welcome Messi to the Parc des Princes following his surprise move to the Qatar-owned club, Mbappe remained silent.

That may not signify much, but for PSG, given his age, Mbappe represents the future and is considered as the natural successor to an aging Messi as the world’s most recognized player.

Messi’s arrival in Paris is another another sign of the European game’s shifting power balance, which is shifting away from traditional elite teams like Madrid and Barcelona and toward PSG, Manchester City, and Chelsea, which are backed by Gulf governments or oligarchs.

But, three years after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Madrid see Mbappe as the guy to take them back to the top of European football.

While Mbappe is a native of Paris, he has always been drawn to the Spanish giants, who were interested in signing him as a youngster.

I’m in desperate need of a new talisman as well.

Ronaldo has been gone for a long time, and centre-backs Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane have both left this summer. Karim Benzema, their lone standout up front, will turn 34 in December.

They are hoping that PSG will accept offers now, or that Mbappe will finish his contract and return to them next season.