PSG set sights on 24-year-old Barcelona target to replace Kylian Mbappe

It is all over for Kylian Mbappe at PSG, with the Frenchman set to leave the Ligue 1 champions at the end of the season, when his contract expires.

All signs point towards the 25-year-old attacker landing in Spain, signing for Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid as a free agent.

Mbappe’s potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu could likely cause some concerns at Can Barça, and might end up affecting some of the Catalans’ transfer plans as well.

PSG want Barcelona target Rafael Leao to replace Mbappe

Indeed, as per Tomas Andreu of SPORT, PSG have set their sights on AC Milan and Portugal forward Rafael Leao as an option to replace Mbappe in the summer. The 24-year-old is also a target for Barcelona.

As was reported earlier this week, Barcelona are eager to sign a top left-winger in the summer in order to add more dynamism and threat to their frontline.

And Leao has been identified as a dream target despite the fact that he has a €150 million release clause. It was claimed that Barça believe they can present a competitive offer for the Portuguese forward, with Jorge Mendes being his agent also likely to be a factor.

But PSG’s entry into the picture changes the situation. The Parisian giants are in a position to blow away any competitors financially and Barcelona, in their current state, cannot go toe-to-toe with them when it comes to economy.

Furthermore, PSG sporting director Luis Campos knows Leao well, having signed him at Lille before, and could play a key role in negotiations.

As such, Mbappe’s potential move to Real Madrid could lead to Barcelona missing out on one of their attacking targets in Leao this summer.