Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly expecting Chelsea to put forward an offer for Kylian Mbappe.
Despite having already achieved legendary status at Parc des Princes, Mbappe's time at the club appears to be coming to an end in turbulent circumstances.
With one year left on his contract, the France international has indicated that his intention is to leave as a free agent in 2024, something which has naturally angered PSG.
As a result, the Ligue 1 champions are keen to find a buyer for their all-time top goalscorer as soon as possible, with their current concern being that Real Madrid will sign him for nothing in less than 12 months time.
At one stage, PSG were hoping that Mbappe would sign for Al-Hilal, who were offering a world-record £259m fee, but the 24-year-old has no interest in a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
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That has left PSG in a position where they may be short of realistic offers for Mbappe, particularly for the level of fee that they were anticipating for his signature.
Talk of a loan offer from Liverpool has been dismissed by Jurgen Klopp unless, as the German said, club officials at the Merseyside giants are undergoing work in secret.
According to L'Equipe, PSG are hopeful that Chelsea may pursue Mbappe having held a phone call with co-owner Todd Boehly.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is said to have spoken with the American, with another report several days ago stating that a player-plus-cash deal may be put on the table.
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Whether that is realistic remains to be seen with Chelsea still having to watch their FFP position and there being minimal squad players at Stamford Bridge who could move to France.
Although Hakim Ziyech was a target for PSG during the January transfer window, there has been no indication that they would be prepared to renew their interest.
Two factors in Chelsea's favour is newly-appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino having previously managed Mbappe in Paris and the West Londoners acquiring an increasingly amount of French players.
Nevertheless, it is reiterated that Mbappe is still currently against leaving PSG, regardless of if he spends the season on the substitutes' bench or in the stands.
Darren Plant
