New on Sports Illustrated: Messi Set to Make PSG Debut vs. Reims, Mbappé Named in Starting XI Despite Transfer Talk

-

Lionel Messi is in the PSG team ahead of his club debut, while Kylian Mbappé has been named in the starting lineup amid rumors of a transfer to Real Madrid.

View the
original article to see embedded media.

A new era in Paris will begin on Sunday with Lionel Messi in the team for Paris Saint-Germain ahead of what's expected to be his long-awaited debut. But another era may be ending with Kylian Mbappé, despite his being named in the starting lineup, still linked heavily with a blockbuster move to Real Madrid.

Hanging over Sunday's match against Reims is the fact that it could very well be the first and only time the two generational talents play on the same team.

Messi will start on the bench but is widely expected to feature for Mauricio Pochettino's side in what will be his first game for a club other than Barcelona since 2000, when he played as an academy player for his hometown side Newell's Old Boys. The 34-year-old star joined PSG earlier this month after his stunning exit from Barcelona, which couldn't keep Messi due to the club's financial troubles. 

As unlikely as it seems with PSG entering the season as the heavy European favorites, PSG sporting director Leonardo confirmed earlier this week that Mbappé wants to leave for Real Madrid. 

After PSG rejected a €160 million ($188.1 million) bid from Real last week, the Spanish giants reportedly returned with a €180 million ($212 million) offer that equals what PSG paid Monaco for the forward in 2018. It's an astonishing figure given that Mbappé's contract is set to expire in June, when he can leave the club on a free transfer. 

Real Madrid has two days left to secure a deal for Mbappé ahead of Tuesday's summer transfer deadline. The 22-year-old has scored 133 goals in 174 games for PSG and also won the 2018 World Cup as a 19-year-old with France. 

More Soccer Coverage: 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Top 80 Prospect Rankings

-
Image
Ranking the top 80 players in the 2021 NBA draft with the NCAA tournament in the rearview. View the original article to see embedded media. With three months until draft night and the NBA’s regular season winding down , the league at large has begun shifting full focus to the off-season. Players have until May 30 to declare as early entrants for the draft, after which point the predraft process will open up in full, leading up to the combine and lottery at the end of June . Our Big Board is long overdue for an update, and fully expanded out to 80 prospects as we all attempt to make sense of the big picture moving forward. As usual, the Big Board is primarily based on my personal evaluations from both live viewings and on film, in many cases dating back several years. The rankings also incorporate feedback and opinions I glean from NBA executives, scouts, and others around the industry. This is not a mock draft, and team fit is not considered, but it is also intended to be somewhat
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: The Patriots’ Post-Brady Era Begins Now

-
Image
In Mac Jones, Bill Belichick drafted a Round 1 quarterback for the first time ever—and looks to usher in a return to dominance. Of course the first time Bill Belichick drafts a first-round quarterback, it’s one for whom he could get an unvarnished scouting report from good buddy Nick Saban —and without even having to do any draft-day maneuvering. Now, the post-Tom Brady era in New England really begins. The Patriots treated 2020 as something of a gap year, with a league-high eight opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who didn't sign with the team until June. They were, for the first time in two decades, mediocre, but that 7–9 record bought them the ticket to a fresh start: the No. 15 pick, which they used Thursday night on Alabama QB Mac Jones. The oft-cited statistic that Belichick had never drafted a QB higher than pick No. 62—used on Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014—was inherently flawed, given that Belichick had Brady as a starter for 19 of
Read more

New on Sports Illustrated: NCAA Board of Governors Unanimously Votes to Extend Mark Emmert’s Contract

-
Despite recent controversy, the NCAA Board of Governors voted unanimously to extend Mark Emmert's contract through 2025. The NCAA Board of Governors unanimously voted to extend president Mark Emmert's contract through Dec. 31, 2025. The news was announced Tuesday as a one-line news item buried within a larger update after the board's quarterly meeting. He's the fifth president in NCAA history and has been in the role since 2010. Emmert previously held high-ranking roles at Washington, LSU, Connecticut and Montana State. His base salary is reportedly $2.7 million.  Within the announcement, the Board reaffirmed its commitment to updating name, image and likeness rules. Dellenger: Inside the Hidden Industry of Name, Image and Likeness and the Changing World for College Athletes Emmert came under fire after disparities were shown between the men's and women's college basketball tournaments this year, specifically the weight room. Prior to the public backlash,
Read more