Mbappé won the Ligue 1 Uber Eats title twice with Tuchel, top scoring in both seasons, and reached last season's Champions League final with the German in charge. Tuchel was particularly impressed with the 22-year-old's UEFA Champions League hat-trick in the 4-1 win at Barcelona last week and feels the Frenchman has what it takes to overhaul Barça's Lionel Messi and Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo to start winning the Ballon d'Or.

Tuchel: "Drop one drop of blood in the water"

Tuchel, now in charge of Premier League club Chelsea, told BT Sport: "Scoring a hat-trick at the Nou Camp is a message and it's what he demands of himself. It is his potential, it is what he has in him. He's a shark. In his mentality, he wants to grab everything that he can have. This is the mentality that you need.

"And I mean it in a positive way because he's a nice guy in private and in person, super nice guy, super intelligent, super funny. But once he's on the pitch he's a shark and that's what the best guys are. If you drop one drop of blood in the water they arrive, and this is Kylian."

Leonardo: Decision time for Mbappé, new Neymar deal close

Leonardo spoke to radio station France Bleu about the contract situation of the club's two biggest stars. The Brazilian said: "We've been speaking to Kylian Mbappé about his contract for a long time. Before, it was above all about being clear in terms of our position and what we want. Now, I think we've reached a moment where a position needs to be taken and a decision needs to be made. We have a good dialogue going.

"As for Neymar, it's on the right road, but at the end of the day, the confirmation comes with the signature and that hasn't happened yet. I think we're reaching the right time, and the same thing goes for Di Maria and Bernat. Those are the four dossiers we're talking about."