Kylian Mbappe has been instructed by former Paris Saint-Germain sporting director that now is the time to leave the French club. A summer move for Mbappe looked like a wild suggestion until he communicated to PSG that he would not be signing the one-year extension in his contract which runs until 2024.
In the weeks following learning of his decision, PSG have set a firm stance that he will either sign a new deal to leave this summer. "My position is very clear and I will not repeat it every time," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in press conference earlier this month. "We want Kylian to stay, but if he wants to stay, we want him to sign a new contract.
"We don’t want to let the best player in the world go for free, it’s impossible. PSG is a French club, it’s his city, and he’s already said he doesn’t want to leave for free. If today someone made him change his mind, it’s not my fault. I’ll say it again, we won’t let one of the best players in the world go for free, that’s very clear. I will not repeat."
Talk of Mbappe departing the Parc des Princes saw shock links emerge that Arsenal could make a sensational swoop for the World Cup winner. Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has also been very keen to bring a world class talent to Stamford Bridge since taking over the club and this could be his greatest opportunity yet.
A summer departure, although it would result in an obscene transfer fee, looks like the most likely outcome with Leonardo sending a clear message to Mbappe. In an interview with L'Equipe, he said: "For the good of PSG, I think the time has come for Mbappe to go, no matter what.
"Paris-Saint-Germain existed before Kylian Mbappe and it will exist after him. He's been in Paris for six years and, over those six seasons, five different clubs have won the Champions League, none of which had Mbappe in their ranks. That means it's entirely possible to win this competition without him.
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"With his behaviour over the last two years, Mbappe is showing that he's not yet a player capable of really guiding a team. He's a great player, not a leader. He's a great goalscorer, not a creative one. It's hard to build a team around him."
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