The French team Lille defeated Queens Park Rangers for a valuable free agent target.
After a difficult season in which they finished in 18th place in the Championship, Marti Cifuentes’ team has been active in the market this summer. Even though their 20th-place result in 2022–23 was an improvement, the Loftus Road team was still in the running for relegation until the last few weeks of the season.
There have been rumours linking a number of midfielders from Strasbourg, including Marc Leonard, Isaac Hayden, and Nordine Kandil, to West London; however, none of these have materialised.Ethan Mbappé, who was expected to depart Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, was linked to Rangers in May by the French publication Le Parisien.
The 17-year-old, who is the brother of France captain Kylian Mbappé, was not part of the decision to send his sibling to Real Madrid, the Spanish powerhouse, and has since been connected to a number of teams.Lille is Fabrizio Romano’s preferred destination, and the player’s physical is now in progress.
Les Lillois defeated QPR, as well as top European teams Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, to secure his signature. Romano said that the agreement was a “long-term deal” for the player to join the Northern French team on a free transfer.The teenager is presently valued at €1.5 million (£1.3 million) by Transfermarkt.
Mbappé has spent his whole career at PSG in the youth system. Last season, he broke through to play four games for the senior side in both the League and the Cup.
With a fourth-place result in Ligue 1, Lille had a successful season and qualified for the Champions League qualifying stages. In recent weeks, Bruno Genesio’s team has prioritised developing their midfield with Mbappé joining the ranks. The team also signed 16-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi to his first professional deal.
Author’s Perspective
Even though it was improbable that Queens Park Rangers would sign Ethan Mbappé, it is another target lost since they have yet to add to their midfield. The sportsman appears to have chosen to stay in his native nation in order to continue his growth because of the fierce competition. Lille, who won the league championship four seasons ago, has been a formidable rival in France in recent years.
In order to sign new players in the middle of the park, Rangers will now have to start over from scratch. The Daily Mirror reports that fellow target Marc Leonard is currently planning to join Birmingham City of League One. Joe Morrell was just made available by Portsmouth on a free transfer, so maybe Cifuentes’ team will go after him next.
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