Kylian Mbappe transfer: PSG star asks about playing in England, Mauricio Pochettino reveals

The PSG forward has shown interest in the “mentality and culture” of the Premier League

PSG’s Mauricio Pochettino and Kylian Mbappe face Manchester City on Wednesday (AFP via Getty Images)

Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino says star forward Kylian Mbappe has asked about his experience of English football and the Premier League.

Mbappe is a transfer target for most of Europe’s top clubs and his contract at the Ligue 1 side expires in 2022.

Real Madrid have been tipped as a possible destination for the France international should he leave PSG this summer, but Manchester City and Liverpool have also been linked with moves.

The 22-year-old has played all of his football in France since breaking onto the scene with Monaco in the 2016/17 season, but Pochettino revealed in an interview with The Guardian that Mbappe has been inquisitive about the Argentinean’s experiences in other counties.

Pochettino managed Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur across a six-year spell in England before joining PSG earlier this year, and previously managed Espanyol in La Liga.

“Kylian loves football, he loves to talk about football,” Pochettino said. “He asks about England – how is the game, the mentality and the culture there? – and also Spain and Argentina.

“He will watch, every day, games from England, France, Italy, Germany.

“He’s only 22 but very mature, confident in his talent and open. He can speak French, of course, but also perfect English and Spanish. He loves to practise different languages.”

Pochettino’s PSG face Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, after progressing past Bayern Munich in a dramatic quarter-final tie earlier this month.

The former Spurs boss also revealed details of his working relationship with Brazilian star Neymar, who starred in the second leg of their quarter-final victory over the German side.

Pochettino said: “It’s so easy with Neymar because you don’t need to do too much

“From day one, he’s been very open to work. He’s very humble, he listens and always accepts all the instructions in a very good way.”