The Parisians are bracing themselves for the loss of their star man this summer, but might already have a capable replacement on their books
Kylian Mbappe is flirting with Real Madrid – he has been for quite some time. This melodrama, one which presumably concludes with Mbappe standing with a smirk in front of the famous wall of Champions League trophies at Valdebebas, is winding to its end. And although it will certainly leave Florentino Perez, Carlo Ancelotti and co. dreaming of another year of glittering success, Paris Saint-Germain will have to confront the reality of being without their all-time top goalscorer.
That is mostly because Mbappe cannot be replaced. The Parisians, though, can change. It's a process that football advisor Luis Campos kicked off last season by bringing in 12 new recruits, all signed to soften the blow of an Mbappe-less future in the French capital.
The biggest new arrival, though, might be a player who hasn't yet appeared for the club since his return in 2023. RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons is technically is currently in Germany on loan from PSG, and in all likelihood will make a proper return to Paris this summer.
After two seasons away, the 20-year-old could be the final piece in PSG's post-Mbappe puzzle, the face of a team refurbished and ready to stay competitive on Europe's biggest stage.
La Masia upbringing
Simons' football career hasn't been all success. Although he's just 20, it seems like the exciting attacker has been around for years. In a way, he has. Born in Amsterdam, Simons moved to south-eastern Spain at the age of three. By the time he was seven years old, Barcelona had snapped him up, and made him one of the biggest talents of a generation, alongside current Golden Boy winner Gavi.
The hype around his upbringing was palpable from an early age. Simons appeared in commercials with Ronaldinho and Neymar as a child, and his name alone gave Barca fans reason for excitement (yes, he was named Xavi because of that famous midfielder). One social media account summarised the hype in modest terms: "Dribbles like [Andres] Iniesta, wins awards like [Lionel] Messi, face like Ronaldinho, hair like [Carles] Puyol, nationality like [Johan] Cruyff, and the name is Xavi."
Simons never saw the field for a senior Barca team. Chelsea tried to take him to London at 12, but he declined the offer. However, he eventually left Catalunya when super-agent Mino Raiola came along in 2019.
Barca reportedly offered Simon assurances that he would star for their Juvenil A (Under-19s) side, and teased a first-team role. But with Messi in the way and Raiola able to drum up interest from around Europe, Simons penned a three-year deal with PSG. Some reports suggested that he would earn up to €1 million (£850,000/$1.1m) per year as a 16-year-old. Barca, for their part, received just €130,000 – a meagre sum for a player who was regarded as a sure-fire world-class talent at the time.
AdvertisementGettyUncertain start to Parisian life
PSG didn't offer Simons consistent playing time – at least not immediately. He spent his first season tucked away in their academy system, as the Parisians dropped him straight into their U19 set-up, handing the 16-year-old ample space to focus on football.
It proved to be valuable development time for a teenager who had never really spent time away from the spotlight. PSG lived in a world of preoccupation at the time, with the antics of Neymar and Mbappe dominating the senior side. Simons, who had over four million Instagram followers and the watchful eyes of an expectant world on him when he first arrived, managed to snatch some valuable time to develop.
Hopes remained high, though, and he trained with the senior PSG squad during pre-season in 2020, making his debut in a friendly that August. By early 2021, he was a fixture on the PSG bench, awaiting his chance to crack a line-up full of global superstars. He made his professional debut in February of that year, and his Ligue 1 bow soon after. By the summer of 2021, it seemed that Simons was well on track to work his way into the first team, especially with Mauricio Pochettino highlighting a specific role for him in the side.
But it never worked out, and Simons spent most of the 2021-22 campaign on the bench. By the end of that campaign, the teenager had been on the pitch for just over 300 minutes, and was yet to score as a professional.
GettyPSV breakout
Simons needed a way out, and PSV provided it. Once again, he was afforded the opportunity to work out of the spotlight, functioning as a key cog for a PSV team that very few would tab as genuine contenders for domestic or European glory. But with Simons pulling the strings, Ruud van Nistelrooy's side came close. He scored 22 goals and assisted 12 more in all competitions, working in tandem with Cody Gakpo to drag an otherwise flawed side to a second-placed finish in the Eredivisie.
For PSV, Simons was the catalyst, a player who could terrify opponents with his slick dribbling ability, before finding the cute passes around the penalty area to set up for his team-mates. It was everything that first Barcelona, then PSG hoped the player could be.
“At this age, he’s not a real specialist,” PSV assistant coach Fred Rutten told in June 2023. “In the future, I think he can play at No.10, but he’s more of a No.10 who scores goals. He has the skills when he’s in the box and when he can come out quickly in the counter-attack — then he’s really dangerous.”
Simons' form brought his future into sharp focus, with Premier League and Bundesliga clubs linked with moves for the youngster after he also broke into the senior Netherlands squad. However, it soon became clear that a return to PSG was on the cards, with a clause having been inserted into his contract that allowed him to return to the French champions, even though he had departed as a free agent just a few months prior.
"It is a clause between me and PSV, not between me and Paris Saint-Germain. It’s a clause that, if I wanted to go to PSG, I could leave for a certain amount at the end of the season," Simons explained. "To be honest, it’s not in my head to leave. I’m settled here; I feel good here. You can also see that on the field, I think. I came here on a free transfer, so I have no obligations to anyone. I’m the one who has to make the choice."
Simons may have had a say in the matter, but what he failed to mention was that PSG's buy-back clause was very affordable, and certainly came in at under market value. They showed little hesitation, then, in bringing one of the world's brightest talents back to Parc des Princes for just €6 million (£5.2m/$6.6m).
GettyLeipzig and further development
Simons arrived back in Paris last summer, only to confront the reality that PSG still had Mbappe and were busy retooling the rest of their forward line following Messi and Neymar's departures. Therefore, promptly after signing a four-year contract, he negotiated a loan move to Leipzig.
The step up in quality has brought a new level out of Simons, who has been among the most impactful players in the Bundesliga this season. He has 16 goal contributions to his name in all competitions and is Leipzig's leader in assists.
These days, he operates as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 setup, floating between the lines and buzzing around the edge of the box. His link up with Dani Olmo – also a La Masia product – has been devastating at times, and the catalyst for Marco Rose's expansive attack. Once a chaotic, all-action dribbler, Simons has become a refined passer who can find a killer ball with ease.
He remains, however, a human highlight-reel. He provided one of the more memorable goals of the Champions League season so far, whipping an effort into the top corner from 25 yards out against Red Star Belgrade, while he also bagged the Bundesliga Goal of the Month award in January for his swivel, pivot and volley that opened the scoring against Bayer Leverkusen. He will undoubtedly be the player Real Madrid fear the most when the two sides meet in the Champions League last 16, with the first leg in Germany on Tuesday.
