Mbappe, Ronaldo and the pursuit of Champions League glory

Dubai - Mbappe will look to sign off with an elusive Champions League trophy in Paris

Ending days of intense speculation, Paris Saint-Germain’s star striker Kylian Mbappe has finally broken his silence and assured the club fans that he will not be leaving Paris for Real Madrid this season.

The World Cup-winning French striker told the club authorities that he would stay in Paris for one more season. It was indeed a big relief for the PSG fans.

Earlier, Mbappe had turned down an offer to renew his PSG contract which would expire in 2022.

Mbappe could still make his dream move to Madrid next year on a free transfer. But until that happens, the PSG fans will have the luxury of watching Mbappe join hands with new teammate Lionel Messi and Neymar to form a deadly partnership upfront.

PSG fans have already got a glimpse of things to come with Messi scoring a delightful goal after Mbappe had set him up in training on Tuesday.

Had Mbappe opted to leave PSG for Madrid this summer, the Paris club, according to reports, would have tried to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus.

But the 22-year-old Mbappe’s decision to stay on at PSG would rob fans of a chance to see two of the greatest players in history – Messi and Ronaldo – in the same team.

The complicated way in which clubs operate in transfer windows came to the fore again when Real Madrid reportedly made an attempt to bring Ronaldo back to Santiago Bernabeu following their failure to sign Mbappe.

But Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti quickly dismissed the media reports, saying the Spanish giants would be no reunion with the legendary Portuguese striker.