Kylian Mbappe’s £259m transfer decision is obvious amid Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Saudi interest

Kylian Mbappe is a wanted man. No surprises there. As Cristiano Ronaldo continues to aimlessly pirouette his way through the desert like a perma-tanned tumbleweed, and as MLS import Lionel Messi is subjected to the kind of relentless mania once reserved solely for the likes of Hulk Hogan and the Kardashian klan (Kim, of course, being more hotly pressed than her sisters, Krusty and Kwik-Fit), the PSG forward has emerged as one of a handful of talismanic names vying for the mantle of the best player in world football.

From a Parisian perspective, it is understandably wounding, therefore, that he seems so intent on forcing an exit. Mbappe’s current contract expires next summer, and as things stand, he will not be signing an extension. PSG’s Qatari owners have subsequently been left to mull over a painful Catch Vingt-Deux; sell their splendiferous megastar now, or risk losing him for nothing in 12 months’ time. Decisions, decisions.

As a consequence of Mbappe’s sudden and apparent availability, a whole host of potential suitors have come skulking out of the shadows like opportunistic hyenas. There are the Saudis, and more specifically, state-sponsored Pro League outfit Al-Hilal, with their world record £259 million bid for a single season of absurd propaganda. There are Real Madrid, widely understood to be the Frenchman’s preferred destination but potentially spent up for the summer.

Then there are Liverpool - long-time participants in a won’t-they-won’t-they flirtation with Mbappe - and finally, Chelsea, Todd Boehly’s personal experiment in to what might happen if a club was run not on the Moneyball philosophy employed by the likes of Brentford and Brighton, but instead on the Money Pit philosophy employed by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.

Now, ordinarily in a piece like this, I might dedicate a certain amount of yardage to what a player could offer to any one of those clubs. In the case of Mbappe, that feels like an entirely futile venture. It would be like advocating for the use of oven gloves or the presence of oxygen in our atmosphere; some things are so obvious they require no justification.

The 24-year-old is one of the fastest, most-technically proficient, ruthlessly lethal attacking forces in the sport today. He has scored 244 goals and assisted 116 more in 325 career appearances at club level, and has registered a further 40 strikes in 70 outings for France. He was a World Cup winner by the age of 19, and even in defeat, netted a hat-trick against Argentina in last year’s Qatari final. He is bordering on the omnipotent, and he is only just entering his prime.

Instead then, let us look at where would be best for Mbappe himself. We’ll rule out Saudi Arabia on the grounds of it being a sportswashed elephant’s graveyard where credibility goes to die amongst the dunes. Real also seems like an unlikely terminus this summer for reasons of financial viability. (Make no mistake, they will get their man in the end, but patience could be the name of the game for the time being.)

And that leaves Liverpool or Chelsea, Anfield or Stamford Bridge, red or blue. It’s like a Goosebumps choose-your-own-adventure; the transfer market courtesy of R.L. Stine. Turn to page 74 if you’ll end up at the Santiago Bernabeu next summer regardless, given that any deal is likely to be a loan agreement with PSG.

For what it’s worth - and believe me, it’s not worth a lot - I think the choice is a fairly straightforward one. Liverpool may have faltered and festered a little last season, but at least they offer a certain measure of stability, and their summer rebuild has maintained some semblance of logic and decorum. Historically, Jurgen Klopp has not allowed his side to stagnate for consecutive campaigns, and with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai coming into the midfield, there are reasons to believe that the Reds will represent a rejuvenated presence in the upper reaches of the Premier League this term.

By contrast, Chelsea are throwing offers around with all the care of Jackson Pollock, and for all of the money they have already spent, they still look like an unfinished article. That’s not to say that Mauricio Pochettino can’t restore some order in the coming months, but there is no denying that they are still a gamble for any player thinking of joining them, let alone a talent of Mbappe’s pedigree.

A lack of Champions League football on Merseyside could be an obstacle, but then again, if Real are hog-tied into inactivity and other realistic interest is lacking, his options could be limited. At least Liverpool will contest a continental tournament next season, and one that they should have a pretty decent chance of going all the way in.

Then there are the actual, tangible footballing reasons. The prospect of Mbappe slotting into an attack alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Cody Gakpo feels tantalisingly right, as if he would be the newly-prized addition to a kennel of already-illustrious racing greyhounds. The manner in which he moves, both with and without the ball, the versatility and directness that he offers to effortlessly - you cannot refute that he would make for a wonderfully intriguing possibility. And by extension, you would imagine that the player himself would have an absolute blast. It all just makes so much sense.

Mbappe’s ultimate goal, blinkered as he seems, will still be a move to Real Madrid. But in the meantime, given a choice between rotting away in a state of profound apathy at the Parc des Princes, or enjoying an unexpected sojourn at any one of several baying clubs, he could do far, far worse than 12 months at Anfield.