Kylian Mbappe finger hovers over PSG transfer trigger as Champions League hiccups put Liverpool and Madrid on alert

Kylian Mbappe has yet to make a decision on where he will play next season amidst approaches from the English Premier League and Spain.

The France international's contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires at the end of this season, leaving him free to negotiate terms with other suitors from New Year's Day. A key factor in Mbappe's decision making will be to sign for a club where he can convert his long-held status as heir apparent to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo into the formal recognition of a first Ballon d'Or.

The 24-year-old – voted third in the 2023 edition of the world footballer of the year award – believes he needs to be at a Champions League winning club for that to happen. Now in his seventh season at PSG, Mbappe has played in just one Champions League Final, a single-goal loss to Bayern Munich in 2020.

The French club hosted Newcastle United in their fifth Group F game and it was the world superstar's last-gasp penalty that saved a point against Eddie Howe's men and keeps them on track for the last 16.

PSG's hierarchy considers their first team to be a work in progress having brought Luis Enrique in to bring rigorous coaching to an aggressively overhauled squad. Eleven senior players were signed in the summer window in which the majority of the club's high earning, high-status footballers were moved on. Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos left as free agents while Neymar and Marco Verratti were sold to the Saudi Pro League.

According to sources close to the player, Mbappe has been impressed with the summer changes, expressing his content with the progress of a younger, more performance-focused team to date. On the field, the striker has returned 16 goals from 16 Ligue 1 and Champions League appearances. Off