Nicolas Anelka has told Kylian Mbappe he must leave Paris Saint-Germain to be considered among football’s greatest players - and suggested Liverpool could be the France star’s next destination.
Mbappe has reportedly told PSG chiefs he does not want to extend his contract beyond next year after four highly-successful seasons in the French capital.
The forward’s incredible return of 132 goals in 171 games makes him the third-highest scorer in the club’s history and he has won a host of domestic honours.
But former Liverpool loanee Anelka believes Mbappe must move away from Ligue 1 to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and win the Ballon d’Or.
A move to Anfield for Mbappe this summer is highly unlikely despite the repeated speculation but Anelka thinks the 22-year-old could finally make a Premier League switch when his current deal expires in 2022.
Writing in the Athletic, Anelka said: “If you want the biggest accolades, you will have to move from PSG at some point.
“Whatever you will do in Paris will be good but somebody will always say, ‘Well, you did great for PSG but it was only in France. The best leagues are in England and Spain, so you didn’t compete with the best players in the best league’.
“You will have to decide. If you want to win the Ballon d’Or, which is what you should be looking at to echo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, you will have to compete with the best.
“You can’t say you compete with the best all the time when you are at PSG. The French league is not easy, don’t get me wrong, but I think the toughest league is in England.
“So, if you want to be one of the best, then do what you do in Paris but with Chelsea or United or Arsenal or City or Liverpool. Or go to Spain to Madrid or Barcelona. Or maybe Italy.
“Then we can speak about a more global impact.”
Mbappe was a star of the World Cup in Russia three years ago but endured a difficult time at the Euros, failing to score and missing the decisive spot-kick in France’s penalty shootout defeat to Switzerland in the last 16.
PSG would nevertheless demand a huge fee to sell Mbappe given his brilliant form in recent seasons - he netted 42 times last term - and potential to improve with some estimates at around £200million.
A potential free transfer this time next year would be a more attractive option for suitors and Mbappe would be able to speak to English clubs from January.
But even then his astronomical wages would come at a huge cost, pricing out all but the very biggest spenders.
