PSG completes blockbuster signing of Mbappe on initial loan

After one season on the principality, the balance of power in French football has returned to the capital.

Paris Saint-Germain confirmed Thursday the signing of Monaco star Kylian Mbappe, with the France international joining Unai Emery's lot on an initial season-long loan.

"The loan agreement also includes a call option for Paris Saint-Germain which, when exercised, will bind the player to Paris Saint-Germain until June 30 2022," the capital-based club announced in a brief statement.

Reports suggest PSG will pay around €190 million, including various bonuses, to make the signing of the teenage star permanent next summer.

A Ligue 1 champ with Monaco amid a dazzling breakout campaign, Mbappe, 18, had been previously linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid. PSG then became reportedly interested in him, but after spending a world-record €222 million on Neymar, Les Parisiens' odds of skirting around Financial Fair Play stipulations appeared unlikely.

Apparently, PSG has found a way to circumvent FFP mandates, with Mbappe's season-long loan agreement helping Nasser Al-Khelaifi's side defer the cost of the player's move until next season. That gives PSG an extra year to accrue revenue that balances the cost of both Neymar's and Mbappe's transfer fees, be it through player sales or lucrative new sponsorship deals.

Where Mbappe plays remains to be seen, and with both he and Neymar favouring the left side of the attack, Emery is under pressure to make the move work ahead of PSG's return to league play on Sept. 8 against Metz. In a 6-2 victory over Toulouse, Neymar started on the left side of a front three in a 4-3-3 formation, with Edinson Cavani in the middle and Angel Di Maria on the right to complete a South American-themed attack.

With Mbappe, Neymar could drop into a central role in a 4-2-3-1 set-up or take Di Maria's spot on the right.