PARIS — In a dramatic turn of events, French superstar Kylian Mbappe is making efforts to leave Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain. The 23-year-old forward is seeking an exit after signing a new mega-contract this past summer. His current deal keeps him at the club until 2025, with his salary being an eye-watering $75m after taxes. Along with that, he received a signing bonus of roughly $125 million. According to Forbes, he’s now the highest earner in the beautiful game.

The news came as PSG drew 1-1 with Portuguese opposition Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday. Mbappe was on the scoresheet, putting his penalty away in the 39th minute. Benfica managed to equalize with a penalty of their own in the 62nd minute, thanks to Jose Mario. Argentine great Lionel Messi has been missing games due to an injury. He didn’t play against Stade Reims during the weekend nor against Benfica this week. He should be returning in time for Le Classique, where PSG will face rivals Marseille. The Parisians currently sit in first place on the Ligue 1 table with 29 points, and Les Olympiens are only five points off in third place.

According to multiple sources, Mbappe’s relationship with the club has soured. The forward believes that club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi, sporting director Luis Campos, and manager Christophe Galtier have failed to keep their promises and feel betrayed. Kylian feels that they are not playing the football style that he prefers.

While PSG either plays with three upfront — usually Neymar out left, Messi outright, and Mbappe in the middle — or with him up top and two behind, he wants to play in a two-striker system. It’s similar to how his national team, France, would play, with either Karim Benzema or Olivier Giroud playing alongside him. He feels as if he’s not the heart of the project that the club had originally planned when he signed a new deal instead of making a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

While results say otherwise, PSG has not been up to standard as of late. The team lacks chemistry, and a huge part of that has to be attributed to egos. During a game, Mbappe shrugged off Messi. This caused an uproar in the football world. Wayne Rooney came out and said that shrugging off arguably one of the best players of all time is unacceptable. It shows a massive ego that must be held in check. He also stated that by the time Messi was his age (23), the Argentine had already won four Balon d’Ors, the most coveted individual award for any footballer.

Rooney is not the only player to condemn Mbappe’s actions. Rio Ferdinand, another former England and Manchester United player, has said that this is not the Mbappe he met. He claims that the player he met was so much more chill and humble, nothing like the character being exposed by the media. He also warned the Parisian star that no player is bigger than any football club. French and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry echoed Ferdinand’s words. To add upon that, he has also warned clubs to avoid signing ‘problem’ Mbappe. Real Madrid is said to be following that advice and will deter from pursuing him.

Mbappe is quickly losing favor in the dressing room as well. Since the signing of his new deal, players have become split, and most of them are beginning to lose patience with him. It’s said that Neymar, who has been playing with Mbappe since 2017, no longer supports his teammate and is very upset upon hearing the news that he wants out.

The former Barcelona star is joined by club captain Marquinhos and other Spanish-speaking players. These players are fuming with Mbappe’s ‘privileged’ role. Most French-speaking players have sided with the Frenchman, including Kimpembe and Hakimi, but even they are beginning to lose patience with him.

PSG has come out and denied all claims that Mbappe wants out, but it’s becoming quite a challenge. Even Mbappe’s mother, Lamari Fayza, has come out and said he is discontent at the club and wants out. There have also been rumors that PSG organized a digital attack against the player, but the club has also strongly denied this.

If Mbappe is to leave Paris, his destination could really be anywhere and nowhere. Rumors are circulating that Liverpool is interested in signing him. Talks of a possible secret private jet meeting between the player and Liverpool have also been going around. As mentioned previously, Real Madrid is actively avoiding the Frenchman and may even be keeping an eye on Norweigan sensation Erling Haaland.