O Paris Saint Germain showed firmness on Friday (21) when discarding Kylian Mbappé for the tour he will make in Japan, perhaps a point of no return in a still tense conflict between the French star and the Parisian club.
PSG wants the star player to renew his contract (which expires in a year) or sell him this European summer. But the club refuses to let Mbappé go free within a year, so he leaves for free, which would represent a considerable loss of revenue for the Ligue 1 champions.
This new episode will inevitably rekindle speculation about the departure of the 2018 world champion to Real Madrid.
In legal terms, the situation favors Mbappé, who can serve the last year of his contract and is not obliged to accept a transfer. The club thus uses another method of pressure: depriving him of the tour in Japan and South Korea, which starts this Saturday (22) and ends on August 3.
The idol of the Parque dos Príncipes is thus among the discarded group, with the Argentine Leandro Paredes and the German Julian Draxler. But Mbappé is the club’s all-time top scorer (212 goals in 260 games).
When returning to national team training on July 15, President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi once again asked those around Mbappé to clarify their intentions. But he got no response, he told the AFP a source close to the negotiations.
The Parisian group for the tour in Japan. ⤵️
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 21, 2023
Agreement with Real Madrid
PSG are convinced that Mbappé has reached an agreement to sign with Real Madrid at zero cost in June 2024, says this same source, with a huge bonus for transferring as a free agent, as the club from the Spanish capital would not pay for his transfer.
Another close source ensures that PSG has already received an offer of 300 million euros from Saudi Arabia for Mbappé, an unlikely destination, but one that reflects the player’s market value.
The club feels betrayed after “helping” and “supporting” the player’s family since he was a teenager, as PSG wrote to Mbappé.
The PSG board regrets that Mbappé did not opt for the proposed solution, according to which both parties would win: renew so that the player does not leave for free, or accept a transfer according to his market value.
“Nobody is bigger than the club”
Often criticized in the past for giving in to the wishes of their stars, PSG have changed their tune and made it clear that the institution is above all else.
So said Nasser Al-Khelaïfi on the day of the presentation of new coach Luis Enrique.
If Mbappé “does not want to sign, the door is open, of course. Nobody is bigger than the club, no player, absolutely none, and neither am I”, insisted ‘NAK’.
The player’s surroundings insist on the answer given a few days ago: the captain of the French national team intends to reach the end of his last year of contract, without renewing.
A club source even guarantees that Kylian’s surroundings hinted that the player is willing to spend a season on the bench.
Mbappé played in PSG’s first pre-season friendly, on Friday, and scored the last goal in the victory over Le Havre (2-0).
For months now, the situation has been tense between PSG and their iconic player. Last season, the star complained about his role in the team, and even leaked information about a possible departure in January, unhappy with the club’s hiring policy.
After a new failure in the round of 16 of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, the controversial phrase “it’s our maximum” was triggered, which froze the club’s ambitions.
In April, he publicly criticized the club’s communication. And in June his email arrived advising that he would not execute the contract renewal option for another year.
President Al-Khelaïfi has now left Mbappe off the Asian tour. The point of no return seems to have been reached.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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