“There are better clubs”
Mbappé joins the Bayern star in poker
November 12, 2025 – 7:17 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
FC Bayern still has to worry about the whereabouts of Dayot Upamecano. Now Mbappé, of all people, is getting involved in contract poker.
FC Bayern’s contract poker with Dayot Upamecano is in full swing. It is still unclear whether Dayot Upamecano will extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season. The central defender, who moved from RB Leipzig to Munich in the summer of 2021, is also one of the team’s main players this season and is in absolutely top form. He is currently with the national team, where personnel was also an issue.
France captain Kylian Mbappé was asked about his teammate’s future at a press conference and found surprisingly clear words. “When you talk about the best defender in the world and this season, he is part of that debate,” said the striker and praised Upamecano’s build-up, his tackling and his high pressing qualities.
Mbappé then made it even clearer: “He is in a great phase, plays in a great club, there are hardly any better ones – but there are better ones.” However, he added a diplomatic note to this statement, accompanied by a laugh: “I will stay out of this discussion out of respect for his club and not to put him under any more pressure.”
Explosive: Real Madrid, of all clubs, is said to be one of the main interested parties in Upamecano, for whom Mbappé also plays. Regardless of this, FC Bayern continues to work behind the scenes on a contract extension. The club officials are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to continue to tie the 27-year-old to the record champions. Upamecano himself recently said in a conversation with “L’Equipe” that he still had “no idea” what his decision would be. At the same time, he emphasized again how comfortable he felt in Munich and in head coach Vincent Kompany’s team.
According to reports, Upamecano would want to join the ranks of top earners at Bayern in the event of an extension. According to estimates, his income could then be up to 20 million euros a year – a level that so far only top stars such as Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala or Joshua Kimmich are said to have achieved. Another sticking point is a possible signing fee. The Upamecano side is said to be calling for a similar double-digit million sum, which Alphonso Davies is said to have recently received for his contract extension. This is said to be a sum of between 15 and 20 million euros.
In addition to Real Madrid, other top European clubs are also closely monitoring Upamecano’s situation. These include Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC, among others.
Upamecano initially wants to continue to concentrate on his sporting goals with both FC Bayern and the French national team. With a win in the World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine, he could next secure a ticket to the finals on Thursday evening together with Mbappé and France.