On Tuesday, the future of Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain was thrown into significant question as the France sensation revealed to AFP that he had never considered extending his contract with the club beyond the following year.
Mbappe and his entourage released a statement the day after he confirmed in a letter to the club that he will not exercise an option to continue at the French champions until 2025. Mbappe’s letter was issued the day after he and his entourage spoke out.
That instantly aroused the specter of the 24-year-old striker, one of the most sought-after players in global football, following Lionel Messi out of Parc des Princes this summer. This is because if Qatar-owned PSG do not cash in by selling him now, he might go for nothing at the end of next season if they do not sell him before then.
Mbappe said in a statement that he had told PSG “on July 15, 2022” of his intention not to exercise an option to extend his contract, which is set to expire at the conclusion of the next season, for an additional year “and the only aim of the letter was to confirm what had already been spoken about previously.” Mbappe’s statement was sent to AFP.
“Kylian Mbappe and his entourage have confirmed that this issue has not been addressed since the beginning of the year, with the exception of two weeks ago when they made the announcement that they would be writing the letter.
“No potential contract extension has been mentioned,” it said further.
Kylian Mbappe and his entourage have provided an explanation. “After maintaining publicly in recent weeks that he would be a PSG player next season, Kylian Mbappe has not asked to leave this summer and has just confirmed to the club that he would not be activating the extra year,” they said.
The winner of the 2018 World Cup and those closest to him were quoted in the statement’s conclusion as stating that they “regret that the letter was circulated in the media and that these exchanges were made public with the sole aim of damaging their image and the discussions with the club.”
Mbappe’s letter to PSG comes a year after the player extended his stay with the French champions by signing a new contract with the club and rejecting an offer from Real Madrid in the process.
PSG do not plan to let Mbappe go for free, according to individuals who are familiar with the conversations, and they were startled that the letter was released.
Because the player has said that he will depart when his current contract ends in 2024, Paris Saint-Germain runs the danger of losing a significant asset for free in the following year. As a result, they have the option to sell the player during the current transfer window, which will remain open until September 1.
The news that Mbappe will not be re-signing with PSG, which was originally reported by the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, is a significant setback for the club.
It comes as they have been intending to make the striker the main point of their squad after letting Messi to depart at the conclusion of his own two-year deal. This news comes as they have been aiming to make the forward the focal point of their team.
Are they watching Real Madrid?
Real would once again be in the driver’s seat despite the fact that they were passed over for him a year ago.
In light of the fact that reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has relocated to Saudi Arabia, they are looking for a new striker to take his place. Benzema had spent the previous 14 years of his career in Madrid.
Mbappe is now training with the France national team as they get ready for their next Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Greece and Gibraltar.
Mbappe, who was only recently named the new captain of France, seemed calm while training with his teammates at their camp in Paris on Monday. He smiled the whole time.
When he joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan from Monaco for the 2017–18 season in August, he was still a teenager at the time. He had recently helped the club from the principality win the title of Ligue 1 champions.
In the following year, the move was converted into a permanent transfer in a transaction for 180 million euros ($195 million).
He was a crucial part of France’s triumph in the 2018 World Cup, and he has since established himself as probably the top forward on the international arena.
After scoring a hat trick in France’s loss against Messi and Argentina in the final of the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe went on to assist PSG in winning a record 11th French championship.
He finished the previous season as the league’s leading scorer with 29 goals, and he scored 41 goals overall in 43 appearances across all competitions.
The season was a disappointment for PSG, as they were eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the round of 16, and they also failed to advance beyond the first round of the French Cup.
Messi had a falling out with the club after skipping training to go on an unauthorized vacation to Saudi Arabia. As a result of PSG’s consistently dismal results in the second half of the season, the club decided not to give fresh terms to Messi. Messi left the club.
Messi made the announcement that he will be moving to the MLS team Inter Miami last week.
In addition, Sergio Ramos was permitted to leave the club, and the future of Neymar, who is still under contract with the club until 2025, is uncertain since the club is said to be interested in parting ways with the Brazilian player.
PSG is now focusing on bringing in new recruits, and the Uruguayan midfielder Manuel Ugarte of Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon and the Spanish international Marco Asensio from Real Madrid are both anticipated to join with the club in the near future.
In addition to this, it is anticipated that PSG will choose a new head coach to take over for Christophe Galtier.