Could Kylian Mbappe Really Leave Real Madrid in 2027?

Not for the first time, Kylian Mbappé’s actions while injured have attracted criticism, while questions are now being asked about his desire to remain a Real Madrid player.

Back in spring, the superstar forward came under fire for his decision to take vacation to Sardinia with his girlfriend Ester Expósito while recovering from a hamstring issue.

Though given club permission, some fans and sections of the media took issue with the timing of the trip, which came amid a particularly trying section of the season for Madrid.

The discontent even led to an online petition calling for Mbappé to leave the club, which garnered tens of millions of online signatories.

Five months on—and despite an exceptional start to the 2026–27 season—Mbappé has riled people up once again with his antics while injured. After hyperextending his knee on international duty with France, Mbappé was allowed to recover away from Madrid.

Bicycle-Gate Sparks Backlash

However, Instagram images of the striker riding a bike in Switzerland—despite manager José Mourinho’s personal preferences—have been interpreted by some as Mbappé deliberately acting out.

Seemingly such a seemingly innocuous incident barely worthy of stopping your scroll let alone serious news coverage quickly blew up in the Spanish press, with MARCA vox popping fans for their take on “bicycle-gate.”

L’Équipe say that some people close to Madrid are “criticizing Mbappé for not keeping a low enough profile,” adding that Mourinho asked his player to be “more discreet” in his communication style—without going into specifics of what that means exactly.

The incident has added fuel to bubbling rumors of Mbappé’s long-term unhappiness in the Spanish capital after two turbulent, trophy-free years.

RMC journalist Daniel Riolo is among those to have questioned his motivation levels, sensationally claiming a parting of the ways between the world’s biggest club and player at the end of the season “cannot be ruled out.”

Where Would Mbappé Go?

Kylian Mbappé doesn’t have a whole lot of options. | David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid/Getty Images

Assuming at least one of Mbappé or Madrid did want a change at the end of the season, a transfer would not be an easy lift.

Mbappé has flirted with other clubs in the past and regularly talks up his mother’s love of Liverpool. However, he remains under contract at the Bernabéu until the summer of 2029, and is Europe’s highest-paid soccer player on a reported salary of around €30 million ($33 million) per year.

According to soccer financials site Capology, Liverpool’s current highest-paid player is captain Virgil van Dijk on £18.2 million ($24 million) a year and Mbappé’s arrival would require a massive, financial-structure breaking outlay.

In reality, the number of clubs that could accommodate the World Cup top scorer’s wages as well as a nine-figure transfer fee is vanishingly small in today’s market—with Madrid and his former club PSG, perhaps the only European options able to.

In theory, Mbappé would be a huge prize for the Saudi Pro League, where finances would be less of an issue. However, it feels unlikely that a player openly chasing the Ballon d’Or and a first Champions League title would opt to leave Europe in the prime of his career. He already turned it down in 2023.

What Next for Madrid and Mbappé?

Despite the regular talk of unrest, Mbappé retains the “unwavering support of president Florentino Pérez” according to L’Équipe.

The president is known to be a fan of the forward and spent a decade trying to land him.

After 94 goals in 111 games and two Pichichi trophies, Mbappé has dazzled as a galáctico but not yet clicked in a great Real Madrid team. Abandoning the Mbappé project now would be a major loss of face for Pérez, who tends to forcefully resist the option of selling superstars when still at the peak of their playing and commercial powers.

From Pérez’s perspective, the only thing that might change the situation would be if another superstar forward—say Erling Haaland—became available. That is entirely speculative, however.

For Mbappé, Madrid—despite the road bumps—is still as good a place as any to work on achieving his personal goals.

The No. 10 returned to training at Valdebebas this week and is working to be involved in Saturday’s return to domestic action against Villarreal.

More goals will help the media move on from the bicycle drama, but the rumors of unrest may continue for as long as Madrid aren’t winning trophies.

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