Kylian Mbappe must leave Paris Saint-Germain to fulfil the promise his potential suggests feels Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric. The 21-year-old World Cup winner with France has been constantly linked with a transfer to the Spanish capital where compatriot and fellow WC winner Zinedine Zidane is currently the head coach. But despite the links, PSG sporting director Leonardo has refused to sell the teenage sensation and has insisted on securing his future in Paris. Modric, however, believes Mbappe must leave France to realise his full potential and reach the level of dominance many have tipped him to. Most Valuable Football Players in Transfer Market: Kylian Mbappe, Raheem Sterling Lead the List; Cristiano Ronaldo Not in Top 50.

Still only 21 years of age, Mbappe has already been touted as one of the best young players among the current crop. In three seasons at PSG, he has already won three Ligue 1 titles to add to the domestic Cup success and the World Cup win. He is also the youngest player ever to complete 15 or more goals in the Champions League history. La Liga 2019-20: Real Madrid Were Very Strong: Zinedine Zidane After 'Important Victory' Over Eibar.

But Modric feels while PSG are always contenders in Europe, Mbappe needs a more competitive league to reach the top level of his game. "Mbappé ha everything to dominate the scene," Modric was quoted by Goal as telling to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I think that to make the leap in quality he needs to go to a championship in which his team does not win so easily."

He has still two years (2022) left in his PSG contract but Mbappe has already been linked to Madrid and Liverpool among other top European clubs. PSG sporting director Leonardo has, however, been adamant that both Mbappe and Neymar will not be leaving the club this summer. Neymar has been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona.

“There’s nothing that tells us they’ll leave this summer,” Leonardo had told Journal du Dimanche last week. “They both still have two years left on their contracts and we’re thinking about what we can do next with them. We want to move forward. Mbappe is the future of PSG. This is what everyone wants. The ideal scenario would be for him to extend his contract.

“He’s already among the best five players in the world. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are 32 and 35, Neymar and Mbappe are 28 and 21 and they are with us. There’s no need to overthink it. We have to take advantage of having them because they’re something huge. We have to find a solution to continue together,” he added.

Meanwhile, Modric, who broke Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s monopoly on the Ballon d’Or award by winning it in 2018, feels PSG’s off-season until August will certainly make them favourites in the Champions League whenever the tournament resumes again. "In the Champions League I see PSG going well, even if they won't play until August," he said.

PSG were declared champions of Ligue 1 2019-20 after the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Then it's easy to say Barcelona and Bayern. Watch out for Atletico Madrid and of course, among the favourites, there will be those who pass between the City and us at Real,” he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2020 04:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).