Kylian Mbappe is likely to stay at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) this season. However, he will not be able to play any matches.
French outlet RMC Sport reported on Tuesday that “Mbappe had a meeting with president Nasser Al Ghalaifi, coach Luis Enrique and president Luis Campos. Mbappe reiterated on the spot that he will not leave this summer at any cost. He wants to leave on a free transfer next summer,” the publication reported.
“Al-Khelaifi explained that Mbappe would never play this season if he did not sign a contract extension,” the outlet continued. Despite this, Mbappe will not consider a transfer or contract extension this summer.”
Mbappe’s career has been a total mess, literally. Born in 1998, Mbappe has been touted as the next Ballon d’Or winner. He joined PSG in 2017 after a spell at AS Monaco, where he showed unlimited potential. He spent the 2017-18 season on loan before making the move permanent the following year. At the time, PSG reportedly spent a staggering €180 million on his signature alone.
That’s the second most expensive transfer in history. The number one player is also a PSG investment. Neymar, who joined the club in 2017. Neymar’s transfer fee was reportedly €220 million ($318.8 billion). The reason PSG spent such an astronomical amount was to win the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
It worked. Led by the duo, PSG reached the UCL final for the first time in club history in the 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, they lost to Bayern Munich, but it was still a positive achievement. Since then, PSG has steadily strengthened and established itself as one of the strongest teams in Europe.
Mbappe’s performances were consistent. However, he was linked with a move away from the club ahead of last season. At the time, he was strongly linked to Real Madrid. In fact, Real even drew up a concrete transfer offer to sign Mbappe. But suddenly, Mbappe decided to stay. He signed a new contract to stay with PSG.
The deal runs until 2024, with an option for a one-year extension. In the process, PSG reportedly offered a whopping €150 million ($217.4 million) to keep Mbappe. It was also rumored that Real, furious with the decision, would never be interested in signing Mbappe again.
This seemed to be the end of the transfer saga. Mbappe helped PSG win the French Ligue 1 title with 29 goals and five assists in 34 games. His performances were still among the best in the league. The problem was, there was a lot of noise. Since the beginning of the season, rumors of a feud with Neymar have been circulating.
And now, the latest bombshell. Mbappe, who was named the best French player of the 2022-23 season by France’s L’Equipe and France Football, later said in an interview, “In my opinion, playing for PSG doesn’t help. They are a divisive team.”
In response, former PSG sporting director Leonardo Araujo said: “The last two years I’ve seen what’s happened around Mbappe and I don’t think he’s the kind of player to lead a team. For PSG’s sake, it’s time for him to go,” he said.
Mbappe has also publicly indicated that he will not re-sign. Mbappe signed a new contract with PSG last summer, extending his stay until the summer of 2024, with an option for a one-year extension, but he has indicated that he will not trigger that clause. This would allow Mbappe to become a free agent next year and move to a team of his choice.
This news enraged PSG. If Mbappe is not willing to extend his contract, they are considering selling him this summer for a transfer fee. This reignited the Real transfer speculation. PSG are already convinced that Mbappe wants to join Real.
Initially, Mbappe played in PSG’s first preseason game. He came on as a second-half substitute against Le Havre on March 22 and scored in the dying seconds of the game, but then PSG started to press. They left him out of their Asian tour roster. Neymar, Marquinhos, and the rest of the core, as well as newcomers like Lee Kang-in, were on board, but not Mbappe.
It didn’t end there. According to France’s Get French Football News, “PSG have removed all of Mbappe’s jerseys from the club store. Mbappe, whose contract expires next June, has made it clear that he will not be re-signed and is now for sale in the summer transfer window. Mbappe’s jersey is no longer available on the PSG official store, and his picture has been removed from the store’s exterior walls.”
Nonetheless, Mbappe is not backing down. “Mbappe is considering leaving as a free agent next summer, despite PSG’s stated intention to sell, according to Sky Sports. Excluded from the Asian tour, he is prepared to sit on the bench for the rest of the season before his contract expires.”
This could lead to a tricky situation. “The situation with Mbappe could trigger the first conflict between Enrique and PSG,” said Spanish publication Relevo. If Mbappe stays with the team next season, Enrique will not listen to the club’s request to bench him.” For Enrique, there is no reason not to play Mbappe, whose quality is clear.
PSG are convinced that Mbappe wants to join Real next summer. “PSG believe Mbappe has already agreed with Real to leave next summer,” transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano said on March 22. They wanted 15 days to get an answer on whether he would stay or go, but Mbappe hasn’t said anything. Because of this, he was left out of the preseason tour roster and labeled as for sale. PSG want to sell Mbappe,” the report claims.
PSG are the only ones in a bind. Regardless of where Mbappe wants to go, they will have to let him go for free if he doesn’t move this summer or sign a contract extension. According to France’s Le Parisien, Mbappe didn’t want to wear a jersey that said “2025” when he signed his new contract last summer. He originally wanted a contract until 2024, but PSG forced him to wear a 2025 shirt instead of a 2024 one.온라인카지노
Real can sign Mbappe as a free agent next summer if they want him. However, the situation has changed rapidly and it has been claimed that they are considering a formal offer this summer. “Real are preparing their first offer for Mbappe in the next 10 days,” said Spain’s Football España on June 6.
“Real will wait for the first five days to see what happens. And depending on what the offer is, PSG could be ready to accept it immediately. In this case, Real could take Mbappe with them to Almeria in the second leg of the Spanish La Liga.”
However, Real are unlikely to make a move as Mbappe’s stance remains firmly in the ‘stay this season’ camp. Sky Sports also reported that one of the reasons for Mbappe’s attitude is the club’s transfer policy.
“Mbappe expected Robert Lewandowski and Bernardo Silva to join him at PSG when he re-signed last summer,” Sky Sports noted. However, Lewandowski left for Barcelona, while Silva remained at Manchester City.
The outlet added: “PSG are now planning a team without Mbappe. They want to set a clear precedent that no player is bigger than the club.”
In the meantime, attention is now turning to how Mbappe, who has reportedly been training with the second team during the preseason, will be scheduled. For starters, PSG’s first Ligue 1 match is against Lorient on the 13th. The first-team squad has been training in preparation.
Andres Onrubia Ramos, a journalist for Spain’s Diario As, wrote on social media on July 7: “PSG will train tomorrow at 5pm. Mbappe will train earlier, at 10am, with players who have been left out of the first team. He is likely to miss the league opener against Lorient.”
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