Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Tuesday that he wants Kylian Mbappe to stay in the French capital, claiming PSG is “the best club for him”.
Mbappe’s contract with the Ligue 1 champions runs out at the end of June and he is free to sign an agreement to join a new club for next season.
“I’m not going to hide that I want Kylian to stay,” Al-Khelaifi told broadcaster RMC.
“The best player in the world is Kylian and the best club for him is Paris.”
PSG have yet to win a maiden Champions League title despite spending billions of euros on transfer fees since the arrival of their Qatari owners in 2011.
Mbappe has been heavily linked with a possible move to 14-time European champions Real Madrid.
“He has the best training centre in the world, the best coach in the world (Luis Enrique),” said Al-Khelaifi.
“Every year he’s sure of playing in the Champions League, we’re in the last 16 at least, quarter-finals, even semi-finals or final, we’re there with the big clubs.”
A source involved in Mbappe’s contract negotiations told AFP last week that the France forward had waived bonuses totalling “several tens of millions” of euros in a bid to ease a move away from PSG.
Mbappe signed a contract extension in 2022 which secured him a salary of 72 million euros ($78.7 million) per year, a signing bonus of 150 million euros and a loyalty bonus which rose from 70 million euros in year one to 90 million in year three, according to Le Parisien.
Liverpool has long seemed the most likely destination for the France international if he did move to England. The departure of Mohamed Salah, potentially to Saudi Arabia, would leave a gap in Liverpool’s forward line but that won’t happen before the summer, by which time it could be too late.
A move to Manchester United, a team that could afford Mbappe’s wages, as the centerpiece of a new era for the club seems fanciful given it is far from assured of playing in the Champions League next season.
But Al-Khelaifi insisted whether Mbappe stays or not “is not a question of money”.
“We have a lot of very important matches, I ask for you to leave Kylian alone, leave him alone.”
Mbappe has scored 24 goals in all competitions for Ligue 1 leaders PSG this season.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Comments
0 comment