Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward Kylian Mbappe needs to leave the club.
This comes after the French giants' elimination from the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 stage. They lost 2-0 against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in the second leg on March 8 and eventually bowed out 3-0 on aggregate.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry scored for the hosts to secure the win. The visitors, meanwhile, put in a disappointing performance in arguably their biggest match of the season.
After the game, Carragher stated that Mbappe needs to leave PSG to join Real Madrid soon. He told CBS Sports:
"Kylian Mbappe has to leave. The sooner he's at Real Madrid, the better."
Mbappe recently became the club's all-time top goalscorer with 201 goals. He has won numerous trophies with the Parisians but is yet to win the Champions League. This was the fifth time in seven years that PSG have bowed out of the competition in the Round of 16 stage.
Mbappe was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid last summer with his contract with the Parisian club expiring. However, he decided to extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.
The superstar forward has scored 30 goals and provided eight assists in 31 games across competitions this season.
Christophe Galtier on missed chances in PSG's defeat against Bayern as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi came close
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg against Bayern Munich, PSG created multiple chances in the second leg on March 8. Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi both even saw their attempts being cleared off the line by Mattijs de Ligt.
The Bavarians then scored in the 61st minute to further hamper the Parisians' hopes of a comeback before adding a second in the dying embers of the contest.
Speaking after the game, PSG manager Christophe Galtier lamented the missed chances and said (via Reuters):
"It's a big disappointment. We have to deal with it and accept it. There's a lot of disappointment in the dressing room. I don't know if it's a lesson to be learned, but there's a lot of frustration. If we'd scored first, it would have been different, but we didn't."
He added:
"We didn't open the scoring when we had the chance. We did well in the first half, we felt we could match our opponents, but we didn't put away our chances. We conceded what was a really stupid first goal at this level.
"Yes, there was pressure from Bayern, but sometimes you mustn't be ashamed to play it long to get over the pressing. When you're behind after an hour's play, it's difficult."
PSG will next take on Brest away from home in Ligue 1 on Sunday, March 11.