Kylian McBarbie's transfer controversy was a bombshell, as the French star scored in a warm-up match for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the early hours of Saturday morning, only to be followed by the news that he has a secret transfer agreement with Real Madrid (Real Madrid), and is expected to join them as a free agent next year. PSG, furious at the news, immediately excluded him from the training squad for the upcoming Asian tour and officially put him up for sale, and if he insists on not transferring or refuses to renew his contract, he will face the fate of being "shut out" for the new season.
Last month, McBarbie set off another transfer fiasco when he informed PSG in an official letter that his contract would not be renewed. Chairman Eckhardt made it clear: "Either he renews his contract or he leaves immediately, and he will not be tolerated to leave the team for free at the end of his contract." It was also reported that after McBarbie returned to training, Eckhardt addressed the team, suggesting that "for those who do not want to stay in the team, the door is always open."
In PSG's first pre-season warm-up match on Saturday, McBarbee scored a goal as a half-time substitute to help the team win 2-0, giving new coach Antoine Anriki his first victory. However, the French newspaper L'Equipe later broke the news that McBarbee had reached a secret agreement with Real Madrid to complete his contract next summer, receive a "loyalty bonus" of 100 million euros (about HK$870 million), and then receive a signing-on fee of 160 million euros (about HK$1.393 billion) to join Real Madrid as a free agent.
PSG will fly to Japan and South Korea for four warm-up matches after the completion of this tournament. Immediately after news of the secret deal broke, PSG excluded McBarbie from the training squad and quickly put him up for sale. The club with the highest offer will have the chance to get him, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all having been rumored to be in the running for McBarbie, while Real Madrid have the chance to step in early.
According to media outlets such as The Athletic and ESPN, PSG have taken a firm stance that they will not give McBarbie a chance to play in the new season if he refuses to move on in the summer.PSG, who acquired McBarbie from Monaco in 2017 for a fee of 180 million euros (around HK$1,567 million), would suffer a huge loss if the 24-year-old striker ends up leaving the club as a free agent.
