Premier League FFP decision could hand Chelsea huge Kylian Mbappe transfer problem
Chelsea continue to be linked with a move for Kylian Mbappe, but his contract demands could prove to be too much
Chelsea’s hopes of landing Kylian Mbappe could hang in the balance as his contract demands have been revealed, but financial rules may prove to be a problem. The Blues have long been linked with a potential switch for the French forward, with the hierarchy looking to add firepower to the front line.
Up until this point, it seemed as though the star would be destined to stay at PSG, however he is now nearing the final few months of his contract. As of January, clubs outside of France can begin negotiating a pre-contract deal that would see Mbappe join them on a free transfer in the summer.
The demands he would make appear to have been reported already as AS, via SportWitness, claim that Mbappe is asking for a yearly wage of €35million (£30.5million) after tax and a signing bonus of roughly €100million (£87million). That is a huge undertaking for any player, but given his stature and the fact he wouldn’t cost anything to sign from PSG themselves, it may prove to be a bargain.
The issue for Chelsea compared to their competitors could be guarantees amidst questions over potential financial fair play issues hanging over their heads. Firstly there’s the issue of recent claims that former owner Roman Abramovich had allegedly made payments off the books that could circumvent financial reporting.
If charges are brought, it could well hit the club with a possible points deduction or even worse, relegation to the Championship. That is all hypothetical at this stage of course, but in the instance of either, it could be tough to persuade a player of Mbappe’s calibre to join the club in such circumstances.
Then there’s the current guidelines that the new ownership must abide by, which is making an adjusted loss no greater than £105million in a three-year period. Given the side have already spent £1billion on transfers since the arrival of the ownership, there will be work in keeping the side within that margin.
A signing such as Mbappe would bring the star power, but along with it would be the financial package required and the burden to pay it. With Everton’s recent ten-point deduction for breaking that rule – which is subject to appeal – the club will be wanting to keep a healthy margin but may have to sacrifice a deal with Mbappe to do so.
