Kylian Mbappe’s absence from the Paris Saint-Germain team for their preseason tour of Japan and South Korea has placed additional doubt on the forward’s future with the club that won the French championship last season.
PSG did not provide a reason for the exclusion of France’s captain, but Mbappe, who is 24 years old, has said for many weeks that he would not sign a new deal with the club.
His exclusion will give rise to new rumors and suspicion that he may depart before the start of the upcoming season in order to sign with Real Madrid.
The striker said in May that he did not want to extend his current deal with PSG, which is set to expire the next year, but he hinted that he wanted to stay at the club for a last season.
“I still have a year left on my contract, and I am going to honor my contract,” he stated. “I am going to honor my contract.”
That would make it feasible for him to become a free agent the following summer and leave PSG without having to pay a fee, a scenario that the president of the club, Nasser al-Khelaifi, described as being “impossible.”
Khelaifi said that “We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free,” and added that “We have no choice.”
Mbappe was even given an ultimatum by Khelaifi, who said that he had “maximum two weeks” to come to a decision on whether or not to sign a new deal or to leave the club this summer. This period generally coincides with the departure of the squad for Asia, which will take place on Saturday.
Khelaifi inquired once again about the circumstances behind Mbappe’s absence from training on July 15, when practices resumed. However, according to a person who has knowledge of the discussions and spoke with AFP, he has not yet gotten a response.
Mbappe has been taking part in the club’s preseason preparations and scored a goal during the last 30 minutes of PSG’s training ground friendly against Le Havre on Friday. The match was held at the club’s training facility.
Mbappe is still the second most expensive player in the history of the club, despite the fact that he is the all-time leading scorer for the club with 212 goals in 260 games.
In August of 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain on loan from Monaco for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. At the time, he was still a teenager.
The shift was temporary at first, but it was made permanent the following year as part of a contract for 200 million euros (180 million euros).
Mbappe’s younger brother, Ethan Mbappe, who is 16 years old, will be part of the 29-player PSG group that travels east. The squad will also feature Neymar, the Brazilian whose transfer value of 222 million euros in 2017 is the current world record.
Madrid bound?
PSG conveyed its sense of betrayal to Mbappe in a letter that it wrote to the player on July 3. The letter said that the club had “helped you” and “supported your family since you were a teenager.” PSG also stated that it had “supported your family since you were a teenager.”
The club said that Mbappe did not choose the “win-win” alternative, which would have been to extend his contract so that he would not depart for free or to accept a move.
PSG wrote to him, “This is how all of the great players, like you, left their club,” and they compared him to other players.
The organization is under the impression that Mbappe has already consented to join Real Madrid for free in June 2024, with the prospect of a stunning signing bonus, given the substantial amount of money the Spanish powerhouses would have saved by not having to pay for the move.
It is believed that it is very improbable that Mbappe would go to Saudi Arabia, but according to a person who is engaged in the discussions, PSG has already received an offer from Saudi Arabia for Mbappe for 300 million dollars.
Mbappe’s last contract expired a year ago, and it was widely assumed that he would leave Paris for Real Madrid at that time. However, he ended up agreeing to a new agreement that would keep him playing for Paris.
Real would be the leading candidate for his signature once again, despite the fact that they were not successful in signing him a year ago.
They are looking for a new striker after the reigning Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema decided to transfer to Saudi Arabia after spending the previous 14 years living in the capital of the Spanish country.
Mbappe was an integral part of France’s triumph at the 2018 World Cup, and he has since established himself as probably the most accomplished forward in the world.
After guiding Paris Saint-Germain to a record 11th French championship, he scored a hat trick during France’s loss to Lionel Messi and Argentina in the World Cup final in December of last year.
He finished the previous season atop the scoring charts in Ligue 1 with 29 goals and bagged 41 goals for his team in all competitions in 43 games played.
PSG now operates under new leadership, with Luis Enrique at the helm of the coaching staff.
On Tuesday, they will begin their tour of Asia in Osaka against Al-Nassr, the club that Cristiano Ronaldo plays for in Saudi Arabia.
After that, Paris Saint-Germain will compete against Cerezo Osaka in the same city, as well as Inter Milan in Tokyo, before concluding their journey on August 3 against Jeonbuk Motors in Busan, South Korea.