Kylian Mbappe breaks silence over possible Arsenal and Chelsea transfer with clear message

Kylian Mbappe transfer news as Arsenal and Chelsea given clear indication as to the state of play during January transfer window

Kylian Mbappe has poured cold water on suggestions that he has made up his mind about a transfer away from Paris Saint-Germain this year. The 25-year-old can now start negotiations with clubs across Europe for a pre-contract agreement ahead of a summer move after he entered the final six months of his deal.

Given the bizarre circumstances that have led to Mbappe’s deal getting to this stage, it promises to be one of the biggest transfers in modern football history, all for effectively no fee. Given this backdrop there is no surprise that some of England’s top clubs are already being linked with a move for the player.

Arsenal and Chelsea are amongst the teams searching for a new striker this year after goalscoring problems held them back from reaching full potential in the first half of the 2023/24 season. Both sides have been heavily linked with moves for Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen this month, but mid-season deals for either look increasingly unlikely.

Mbappe himself wouldn’t be moving until the summer, when he he is free to leave PSG at the end of his deal, but the groundwork can be done now and a pre-contract agreed. However, the two-time World Cup golden boot winner isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“I haven’t made any decision on my future. I didn’t make a choice,” he said when asked about his future. “Nobody talks about my situation inside the club, it’s not a topic.” Those words echo what head coach Luis Enrique said earlier in the week too.

The former Spain boss said: “I will continue to do what I have done until today with Kylian.” Enrique had initially left Mbappe out of his squad for the pre-season tour of Japan following a dramatic series of events. Mbappe first informed PSG that he wouldn’t be triggering a one-year extension in his deal which would tie him down until 2025 and the club then sought to sell him in the summer in order to avoid the potential of losing him for free.