PSG has made the decision to list Kylian Mbappé for sale after excluding the France forward from their pre-season tour of Japan. Previously, Mbappé had informed the club that he would not be exercising the option of a one-year contract extension next summer but expressed his desire to stay in Paris and depart on a free transfer. However, PSG’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has now stated that Mbappé must either sign a contract extension or be allowed to leave the club. PSG acquired the talented 24-year-old from Monaco in 2018 . It was for a hefty fee of £166m.PSG are understood to feel betrayed as they believe Mbappé has already agreed a free transfer with Real Madrid.
Mbappé has yet to respond to Al-Khelaifi and will now be excluded from manager Luis Enrique’s squad that is due to travel to Japan for a pre-season tour.
“My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it all the time. If Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he needs to sign a new contract,” Al-Khelaifi said earlier this month. “We don’t want to lose the best player in the world on a free. That’s impossible. He had said that he would never leave on a free. It’s not my fault that he’s changed his mind now. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free. That’s very clear.”
An astronomical fee
Despite his contract situation, Mbappé would still demand an astronomical fee that only a handful of sides could afford. But the news will still interest every elite club in Europe, particularly in the Premier League.
In the past, there were links between Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea with Kylian Mbappé. Madrid seem to be his most likely destination. Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, has long admired Mbappé, and even after the shock renewal of his PSG contract last year . It was a deal that was rumored to include a salary of £20m . This is after tax and a signing bonus in excess of £100m . The striker openly discussed the idea of joining Madrid. Mbappe personally called Pérez last year to explain his decision to stay.
“I have lots of respect for [Pérez] and for Real Madrid,” Mbappé said in May 2022. “They wanted to do a lot to make me happy. So I thank them for that. I’d also like to thank Real fans. I hope they’ll understand the fact I’ve chosen to stay [at PSG].”
For PSG, Kylian Mbappé did play in a friendly against Le Havre on Friday, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory. His 16-year-old brother Ethan is included in the touring squad along with star names like Neymar, whose future has also been the subject of speculation.
PSG will play matches against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr and Cerezo Osaka in Osaka next week before taking on Internazionale in Tokyo on 1 August and South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors two days later.
