EXCL: Will PSG's threat to Mbappe work? Plus latest on bid for Hojlund, two PSG midfield exits, two big signings for Marseille, and more

The latest deep dive into the biggest transfer stories from Ligue 1.

Mbappe saga leaves PSG working with one hand tied behind their back, but they won’t banish him from the first-team

Undoubtedly the story of the week is Kylian Mbappe, with the big development being that Al Hilal have their delegation in Paris sorting out the deal for Malcom to join from Zenit Saint Petersburg. Obviously this has led to various reports about Mbappe’s situation and although it’s been claimed that Mbappe has flat-out rejected Al Hilal, it’s not the case that he’s communicated that to them, it’s that he’s refusing to enter into talks over the possibility.

PSG’s acceptance of Al Hilal’s bid is conditional on Mbappe accepting the move to Saudi Arabia, and the fact that he’s not in those talks at the moment just further fuels PSG’s suspicion that he has a long-standing agreement with Real Madrid. It’s possible that that’s been in place since even just weeks after his most recent contract extension last year. Mbappe also still seems absolutely set on seeing out his PSG contract, so that points towards a decision being made to join Real Madrid as a free agent.

For now, the situation with Mbappe hasn’t actually changed that much. He’s still no closer to any resolution over his PSG future and there’s no indication that Real Madrid will come to the table in the next couple of weeks. There’s just this growing feeling in PSG’s ranks that Mbappe has basically already agreed lucrative terms with Real Madrid and that’s why he’s absolutely set on joining them in 2024. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if that’s still compatible with him spending a year at Al Hilal. Still, at this moment in time Mbappe has been reluctant to even consider starting talks with Al Hilal - the offer is there but he hasn’t responded whatsoever.