Paris Saint-Germain could not have been more clear that Kylian Mbappe must leave this summer if he will not sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes. Now it appears they have reached the point of having to threaten Mbappe with action in order to force the situation.

Mbappe has dug his heels in that he wants to complete his contract with PSG, and presumably leave on a free next summer, with Real Madrid waiting patiently. Los Blancos are yet to make a move for Mbappe, and may well be content to leave it until next summer to do so.

Yet The Athletic say (via Sport) that PSG would be willing to bench Mbappe for the whole season, and leave him without football if he will not co-operate with their wishes. This naturally would be a drastic measure, but PSG are trying any which way to force Mbappe into either a renewal or a move.

How likely this is, remains to be seen. It would show remarkable backbone not to use arguably the most valuable footballer in the world for an entire season, but also be an extremely counter-productive use of resources. If, as is reported, PSG have intimated that to Mbappe, then they risk proving losing even more credit should they backtrack.

Little has been said of new manager Luis Enrique in this equation, but the Asturian has a mind of his own, and seems unlikely to be on board not only with the idea, but also at losing one of his best assets with no replacement.