Mbappé starts his goodbyes at Paris Saint-Germain as exit looms

PARIS (AP) — Kylian Mbappé announced again he's leaving Paris Saint-Germain, an unsurprising move by the French superstar who is expected to join Real Madrid.

Mbappé said on Friday on X he will play his final home game on Sunday against Toulouse.

“I never thought it would be this difficult to leave my country,” he said in the video post, adding he will face a new challenge after seven years at PSG.

Mbappé now captains France and won the World Cup in 2018. becoming the second teenager, after Pelé, to score in a World Cup final. He top-scored at the 2022 World Cup, including a hat trick in the final.

Mbappé joined PSG in 2017 from Monaco in a deal worth 180 million euros ($194 million). He is expected to be bought by 14-time Champions League winner Real Madrid.

In 2021, PSG turned down a bid of 180 million euros ($194 million) from Madrid for Mbappé. He renewed his contract with PSG, on which he didn’t take up the option for an extra year. Earlier this year, he told PSG he’s leaving at the end of the season.

He has 255 goals for PSG, and his prolific output helped to deliver six league titles in seven years but also often masked glaring deficiencies that were exposed at the highest level in the Champions League.

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The Associated Press