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As speculation over Lionel Messi’s future continues, Kylian Mbappe has said he would like to form a new partnership with Hugo Ekiteke in the Paris Saint-Germain squad.
If the Argentine leaves the team, Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to replace him in the starting XI.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, 35, has fewer than eight months left on his contract and has been strongly linked with a move to Inter Miami.
Co-owner David Beckham has made no secret of his desire to sign the player
According to reports, Messi wants to sign a contract extension with PSG at Parc des Princes, but Barcelona is also interested in re-signing the Argentine superstar.
After 21 years and almost 650 goals scored and 27 major championships won, Messi left the Catalan giants in the summer of 2021.
With 12 goals and 13 assists in just 17 games this season, Messi has established himself as a staple on the right side of a PSG front-three.
But if he leaves the team, PSG will have to find a replacement for him. Mbappe has identified a player who is already a member of the team as someone he would like to play with in the future.
According to France Bleu Paris, Mbappe has stated his desire to play for PSG in a front-two alongside Ekiteke.
The 20-year-old has reportedly found support in the PSG locker room despite a challenging start to life in Paris.
Ekiteke understood what he was getting into when he moved from Reims on loan in the summer.
Ekiteke has only played 149 minutes of football across all competitions since joining PSG due to a lack of playing time.
The PSG manager acknowledged that it is in part up to the forward to press his way into his plans after Christophe Galtier earlier disclosed that the forward is dissatisfied with his lack of playing time.
But since Neymar, Mbappe, and Messi are their preferred front-three at present, it is challenging to build a case for Ekiteke, even though Mbappe wants to form a partnership with him.
The 23-year-old removed an Instagram post that appeared to suggest he disliked playing alone up front.
However, given the uncertainty surrounding Messi’s future and the fact that Ekiteke still has time on his side, Mbappe may get his wish and replace the Argentine superstar in the future.
