Soccer: Striker Kylian Mbappe to leave PSG after season

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Star striker Kylian Mbappe told Paris Saint-Germain that he plans to leave the French Ligue 1 team after the season.

Sources told ESPN, CBS Sports and The Athletic about the move Thursday afternoon.

Mbappe, who has long been linked to Spanish La Liga franchise Real Madrid, totaled 20 goals and four assists through 19 Ligue 1 games this season. He scored 31 times in 30 total matches during his ongoing 2023-24 campaign.

Mbappe totaled 31 goals in 43 games last season. He logged 39 goals in 46 games in 2021-22. The star striker, who first went on loan from Monaco in 2017, scored more than 200 goals during his PSG tenure.

The 25-year-old mad his senior career debut in 2015 at Monaco. He scored 16 times in 41 appearances for that Ligue 1 club. Mbappe also scored 46 goals in 75 appearances for the French national team. He helped France win the World Cup in 2018 and finish second in 2022.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot (top scorer) and the Silver Ball (second-most outstanding player) at the 2022 World Cup. He also set a record for the most goals (three) scored in a final, which France lost to Lionel Messi and Argentina.

Mbappe scored in the 58th minute of PSG's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Round of 16 series Wednesday in Paris.

PSG will battle Nantes in a Ligue 1 game at 3 p.m. EST Saturday in Nantes, France. A total of 17 matches remain on PSG's 2023-24 Ligue 1 schedule.

PSG, which won the last two league titles, is in first place in the Ligue 1 standings.