Kylian Mbappe told PSG in June that he has no intention of signing a contract extension; the French forward’s current deal expires in 2024 and PSG say he must extend or be sold this summer; PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will call for unity at the club in a speech on Tuesday
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will come face to face with Kylian Mbappe for first time since ‘the letter’ on Tuesday.
Mbappe sent a letter to PSG in June stating he had no intention of extending his contract, which expires in 2024, meaning he could leave for free next summer – a situation club president Al-Khelaifi is desperate to avoid.
The France striker later clarified he had not asked the club to allow him to move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, who have tried and failed to land him in the past.
He has been given a deadline of July 31 to commit to staying at PSG until at least the summer of 2025, otherwise he will be sold to the highest bidder next month.
Al-Khelaifi will give a speech to the full squad at their new £250m training ground tomorrow, where he will stress the importance of PSG as an institution and the squad giving their full support to new head coach Luis Enrique.
Mbappe returned to PSG training on Monday for the first time since he told the club he was leaving when his contract runs out next summer. He had standard medical checks and will resume full training on Tuesday.
PSG squad members who played for their countries in June did not have to return until Monday.
Neymar is also at the new training ground working on his recovery after ankle surgery in March. PSG will play Le Havre in a friendly on Friday before flying to Japan for their pre-season tour.
A statement from Mbappe’s entourage in early June:
“After having publicly declared in recent weeks that he will be a Parisian next season, Kylian Mbappe did not ask for his departure this summer, but merely confirmed to the club that he was not activating his additional year.
“The management of the club in charge of its extension (signed on May 21 2022) was informed of its decision on July 15 2022 and the sole purpose of the letter was to confirm what had already been orally clarified previously.
“Mbappe and his entourage claim they have not discussed this point with the club again during the year, except 15 days ago to announce the sending of the letter. Nor has any possible new extension been mentioned.
“Finally, Mbappe and his entourage regret that the receipt of this letter has been transmitted to the media and that these exchanges are made public with the sole aim of damaging his image and the smooth running of conversations with the club.”
Image:Mbappe was PSG’s top scorer last season
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi speaking in early July:
“My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it every time: if Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he needs to sign a new contract.
“We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free. We can’t do that. This is a French club.
“He said he would never leave for free. If he changes his mind today, it’s not my fault. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free, that’s very clear.”
Source: skysports.com
