Replacement for Mbappé? Osimhen, Salah, or someone else?

The whole football world is revolving around the potential departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid. But who will replace the PSG star striker? Will they choose a star option or someone less famous? We take a look at the potential successor in the article.

Victor Osimhen

The Nigerian cannonballer shot Napoli to a long-dreamed of title last season. Speaking of numbers, he notched up 31 goals and 5 assists in 39 games in the 2022/23 season. Considering that Osimhen plays in one of the most defensive competitions in the world, it’s a very good record for this skilful striker.

The talk of leaving Naples is getting louder and louder. Already this summer, several clubs were interested in Osimhen. Gasoline was added to the fire by the admin of the Italian club on the social network TikTok, who uploaded a mocking video on the player himself. A buyout clause worth 130 million euros would certainly not be a problem for the Parisians to activate.

Rafael Leao

The smiling Portuguese winger is the prototype of Kylian Mbappé. Leao can play on the left wing and move into a spike striker position in an emergency. He arrived at AC Milan in 2019 for “only” 50 million euros. The season before last, he had the most credit in winning the title for AC Milan.

As the Portuguese’s performance rises and falls, so does AC’s play. In his absence, the offensive actions are unmassive, with Leao, the San Siro team’s attack is more lively and relaxed. This season he has scored only 8 goals and added 7 assists, but he is plagued by injuries. However, he had an excellent season last season, finishing it with a 16+15 record. PSG would have to come up with more than 100 million euros for him.

Mohamed Salah

The Egyptian winger will probably end up at Anfield in the summer along with Jurgen Klopp and PSG could take advantage of this chance. Moreover, Salah’s contract expires in 2025, so he wouldn’t cost as much money as the aforementioned players. But of course Leao and Osimhen are far more promising.

In all competitions this season, Salah has 19 goals and 10 assists, all in 29 games. As he does every year, he’s vying for the crown of top scorer in the English Premier League. He would clearly be the biggest star in France, his arrival would mean moving Ousmane Dembélé to the left side of the pitch. He would have a lot to offer Paris, even at 31.

Nobody

Maybe PSG management will surprise the world and not buy anyone, the reason? A bet on the current players at the club. Bradley Barcola arrived from Lyon in the summer and is gradually getting used to Luis Enrique’s style of play. We can vividly remember his beautiful goal in the Champions League in the San Sebastian net. However, in the case of the young Frenchman, there would have to be a rapid increase in productivity to fully replace his compatriot.

Xavi Simons is currently on loan at Leipzig in Germany. In 31 games played, he managed to score 8 goals and assist 9. He too could be one of the options to replace Mbappé without having to shell out big millions. The Dutchman can be very productive, he proved it last season in a PSV jersey, for which he collected 22 goals and 12 assists.

Source: MARCA, Transfermarkt