After months of speculation, countless interviews and last-minute optimism over a new deal, Kylian Mbappe finally looks set to end his stint at Paris Saint-Germain.
The 23-year-old only has six weeks left to run on his deal with the French champions and is believed to have already agreed personal terms with Real Madrid over a free transfer to the Bernabeu.
Finding a player who can replicate Mbappe's 25 goals and 19 assists in Ligue 1 this season is a tall order, but PSG should not be short of options when it comes to picking out a ready-made replacement.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at five players who could replace Mbappe at the Parc des Princes this summer.
Now one of the hottest properties on the market following Erling Braut Haaland's move to Manchester City, Benfica attacker Darwin Nunez should be at the centre of a wide-scale transfer tussle amid a spate of stellar showings in 2021-22.
The 22-year-old has found the back of the net 34 times in 41 appearances across all competitions, including 26 strikes from 28 Primeira Liga outings - six clear of Mehdi Taremi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Benfica have reportedly resigned themselves to losing Nunez in the summer transfer window - even though his contract runs until the summer of 2025 - and a fee of £51m would supposedly be enough to prise him away from Portugal.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are all expected to rival PSG for the signature of Nunez, with his 6ft 1in frame and clinical finishing ability making him an attractive prospect for any team's frontline.
Romelu Lukaku (Chelsea)
After firing Inter Milan to the 2020-21 Serie A title, optimism was high surrounding the chances of Romelu Lukaku embarking on a similar mission for Chelsea, especially seeing as they forked out £97.5m to bring him back.
However, the Belgian has only registered eight goals in the Premier League, is often restricted to the substitutes' bench under Thomas Tuchel and made a rod for his own back with his bombshell interview last year.
Lukaku's deal with Chelsea runs until the summer of 2026, but the Blues cannot expect to recoup the same fee this time around, and the striker recently blasted his agent for comments he made over his situation at Stamford Bridge.
The 29-year-old is believed to want to stay and fight for his place at Chelsea, but if there are no indications that his playing situation could improve, Paris could very well come calling.
On course to end the 2021-22 season as the Premier League's top goalscorer and top assister, Mohamed Salah is yet to commit his long-term future to the Reds, despite a lengthy round of negotiations.
The 29-year-old, as things stand, will be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and Liverpool will be forced into a difficult transfer decision should an agreement over a new contract ultimately not be reached.
A recent report claimed that Salah could be 'tempted' by a move to PSG or Barcelona, but Mauricio Pochettino's side hold a clear advantage over the Catalans on the financial side of things.
Salah may not be the out-and-out striker that PSG require to fill the Mbappe-sized void, but with Angel Di Maria also set to head elsewhere this summer, expect the French champions to keep a close eye on his Liverpool contract developments for a little while longer.
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Having now confirmed that he has no intention of signing a new contract at Bayern Munich, Polish hotshot Robert Lewandowski is ready to consider his options after a goal-laden eight year spell with the perennial German champions.
Bayern chiefs have always affirmed that the 33-year-old will be going nowhere, but can the Bavarian outfit really afford to lose one of the world's best strikers for nothing in 2023? Especially one who is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down.
Lewandowski ended the 2021-22 season with a half-century of goals to his name from 46 appearances in all competitions, including 35 strikes in the Bundesliga as he continues to shatter records left right and centre.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund man will turn 34 in August but clearly possesses a good few years of goalscoring ability left in him, and PSG would be foolish not to consider a swoop for the prolific Pole.
Barcelona are still thought to be at the head of the queue for Lewandowski, but the greater financial package that PSG could offer must not be discounted, especially with Sebastian Hoeness alleging to Kicker that the striker's contract saga was "all about the money".
Paulo Dybala bode an emotional farewell to Juventus in his final home game for the Old Lady against Lazio at the weekend, with the Argentine recently confirming that he would be leaving the club at the end of his contract.
The 28-year-old's injury problems over the past couple of years may lead some suitors to think again, but scoring 115 goals for Juventus is nothing to be sniffed at - 15 of which have come in the 2021-22 season.
Premier League interest in Dybala is thought to be rife - with the striker's agent reportedly touching down in London earlier this month - while Inter Milan have also been tipped to bring him to San Siro this summer.
PSG have allegedly already been in contact with Dybala's entourage ahead of the battle for his services on a free transfer, but Leonardo has his work cut out to beat the competition to the low-cost signing, whose wage demands should certainly not be an issue for the financial powerhouses. body check tags ::
