Mbappe and PSG Have a Problem

24.07.23 1144

The big news as European clubs begin their preseason tours was the absence of Kylian Mbappe in the Paris Saint-Germain squad.

The French champions have departed Paris for their preseason tour of Japan and South Korea without the World Cup winner and that has led to increased speculation about his future. So, what is the problem with Mbappe and PSG?

Mbappe has one year left on his current contract, meaning he could leave for free next summer if he allows the contract to run down.

PSG have offered Mbappe a one year extension on his current deal but the forward is refusing to sign the contract and it is believed he wants to move to Real Madrid next summer for free.

Clearly PSG do not want to lose arguably the best forward in the world for nothing, especially having signed Mbappe in deal worth €180 million in 2018.

Mbappe is PSG’s all-time leading goalscorer and has netted 212 goals in 260 games since arriving from AS Monaco.

Speaking about the issue with Mbappe, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said, “If Kylian Mbappe wants to stay - we want him to stay - he needs to sign a new contract.

We cannot let the best player in the world right now leave for free. That is impossible.”

So, PSG are not willing to back down and as Mbappe continues to leave the contract extension unsigned, the club have made the decision to leave him out of the preseason tour to Asia.

PSG would be willing to sell Mbappe this summer and several clubs have shown interest in the forward.

However, only a small number of clubs would be able to pay the transfer fee and afford the wages, which means Mbappe’s options are limited.

Real Madrid appear to be his team of choice but they have already paid €103 million for Jude Bellingham and €20 million for Arda Güler.

With UEFA monitoring the way teams spend their money, it is going to be difficult for Real Madrid to spend big on another deal this summer.

PSG may be willing to accept a lower transfer fee than would be expected for a player of Mbappe’s calibre to ensure they do not finish with nothing if he should leave next summer.

It seems strange to think Mbappe could be left out of the PSG squad this season as a punishment for not signing a new deal and something is going to happen before the beginning of the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season on the 12th of August.

Former Spain and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is the new boss at PSG and he has walked into a massive problem with his star man.

Lionel Messi has left for Major League Soccer and there are rumours Neymar could also be about to leave the club.

In the long term, PSG may benefit from not having so many big name players in their squad but the situation with Mbappe is far from ideal as Enrique prepares for his first season at the Parc des Princes.