Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly expanded their pool of potential replacements for Kylian Mbappe by adding a highly productive striker from Serie A.
Despite their utmost efforts to retain Mbappe’s services in the long run, PSG will ultimately bid farewell to the 25-year-old once his contract expires at the end of the season.
Last summer, Mbappe had already informed the French champions that he would not be activating the 12-month extension in his contract, resulting in his temporary exclusion from the first team as PSG made every effort to sell him.
As the campaign draws to a close, Les Parisiens will now lose the attacker, who is bound for Real Madrid, without receiving any transfer fee. However, they will reportedly save €200m (£170.8m) in annual wages and will not have to pay Mbappe his loyalty bonus.
Despite already having Randal Kolo Muani, Goncalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembele in their attacking lineup, PSG is expected to reinvest some of the money saved from Mbappe’s departure to further strengthen their offensive options.
Luis Enrique’s team is now targeting Marcus Thuram, a compatriot of Mbappe, who has had an impressive debut season at Inter Milan. The French international, son of legendary defender Lilian Thuram, gained recognition at Borussia Monchengladbach before moving to Inter on a free transfer during the summer transfer window of 2023.
Teaming up with Lautaro Martinez, Thuram has achieved double-digit figures in both goals and assists in Serie A, scoring 11 goals and providing 11 assists in 30 matches. The former Sochaux player has appeared in 29 Serie A matches for Simone Inzaghi’s team, who are close to securing the Italian championship as they lead AC Milan by 14 points with six games remaining.
Thuram’s contract at San Siro extends for another four seasons, but Inter is reportedly willing to consider offers around €80m (£68.3m) for the 26-year-old, who rejected PSG last summer to play for the Nerazzurri.