Lemme know if you heard this one before: The game's No.1 superstar under the age of 35 lets it be known that he won't sign a contract extension at his club, Paris Saint-Germain, which means that in 12 months' time, he will be a free agent.

Minus COVID, it kinda feels like 2021 all over again, doesn't it?

Kylian Mbappe told PSG last Monday that he would not be taking up the one-year option on the contract he signed 13 months ago. (Which make the pictures of him posing with that silly 2025 shirt seem even more ridiculous now, doesn't it?)

Then, as now, PSG were stunned. Then, as now, folks were speculating that the club would need to sell him this summer. Then, as now, Real Madrid seemed the likeliest destination, given the Cristiano Ronaldo posters on his wall as a child, given Florentino Perez's penchant for Galacticos (superstar players) and given the fact that you can count on one hand the clubs that can afford him.

Two obvious -- and interconnected -- considerations come to mind here. The first is that if you're a young superstar of the sort that transfers clubs for huge sums and are willing to bet on yourself, shorter contracts are the way to go.