PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi seems to think it is "impossible" that Kylian Mbappe - a man with 12 months left on his contract - will leave for free in what has become one of the most repetitive transfer sagas in recent memory.
The Frenchman may well be a Nike man through and through but the Adidas mantra may be more suitable to him at this point - "impossible is nothing".
The circus that is PSG is beginning this summer with a familiar main attraction: the trials and tribulations of Mbappe at the Parc des Princes.
For a club that claim no player is bigger than the institution, PSG don't half bend over backwards for a man who has flirted with the exit door on numerous occasions since arriving in 2017. It seemed like a rite of passage that football's hottest property, a man who was born in Paris, would make his first major move to PSG having risen through the ranks at Monaco.
Initially it was his colleague, Neymar, the most expensive player of all time, who welcomed speculation about a move away. Those noises quietened down years ago and, as Mbappe continued to further establish himself as one of the game's elite players, it was he who seemed happy to talk openly about options elsewhere.
PSG had to battle hard to retain the 24-year-old last summer and he eventually signed a new deal, albeit at the cost of a huge signing-on fee. They also made the unprecedented move of giving Mbappe a say in who made the decisions at the club which, with hindsight, was always going to be a recipe for disaster.
The continued failings at the Parc des Princes can be put down to a plethora of issues. But when the best player is allowed to speak openly about his desires and then bemoan the fact the manager, the man who picks the team, uses him in a position he doesn't like, it doesn't lend itself to a happy camp.
This summer is perhaps the most defining of the Qatari-era in Paris. Mirror Football understands they have no interest in letting Mbappe leave on a free and their priority is to recoup a fee for the Frenchman.
Another Champions League failure has shone the light on the hierarchy with the club's ultras speaking out against those at the top of the Parc des Princes. Al-Khelaifi has spoken like a defiant man, but must now walk the walk having talked the talk.
"We want him to stay but he can't leave for free," the PSG president said at the unveiling of new manager Luis Enrique. "There was a verbal agreement and he had discussed it in an interview. And I was really shocked to learn that he had decided to leave for free.
"It's very disappointing because Mbappe is a fantastic boy, a real gentleman and to leave for free, weakening the biggest club in France, it's not him. When I heard the news, I was shocked and disappointed."
PSG have two main issues - where and how. Where do they look to sell him if indeed the player does decide to follow through with his plan, which he claims the club knew about, to not sign beyond 2024. The how is exactly how do they, a club with ambitions of ruling Europe, show that life exists beyond Mbappe and that they will not be bullied.
Real Madrid have long looked like Mbappe's next destination, but after their investment in Jude Bellingham money is at a premium. Yes Karim Benzema has left a major hole, but you get the impression they'd be happy to wait for 12 months.
The Premier League is the only other option for the Frenchman. Liverpool have previously been touted as an option whilst Chelsea have shown their appetite to spend big and sign big names. Both Manchester clubs are, realistically, closed off.
It means the biggest problem PSG currently face is finding a buyer. The few clubs that would be interested either have other priorities or lack the funds at this moment. It further plays it Mbappe's hand after he said he would play on in France this summer and then leave - ultimately the nightmare scenario for his employers.
PSG will have to accept that they cannot demand the fee they would otherwise like for the World Cup's Golden Boot winner. His contract situation has evidently backed them into a corner and any move will not challenge the historic £198m fee paid to sign Neymar - that's if they can find anyone who will take Mbappe in the coming weeks.
Al-Khelaifi has also said: "It's for him to decide for himself next week, or at most in the next two weeks. And if he does not want to sign a new contract, the door is open. It's like that for him and everyone else. Nobody is bigger than the club, no player, not even me. It's very clear. By the standards of football, you never see your best player leave for free. It just doesn't happen.
"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."
Many may see the refusal to take responsibility as part of a wider issue whilst the president's comments are not totally aligned with the statement put out by the player - so what next?
Don't for one second rule out the possibility of Al-Khelaifi whipping out the cheque book and handing Mbappe the pen as he has done before. Name your price. At this stage though, after six years with the Parisians and millions earned, money may no longer be the motivation.
PSG's dominance in France means they would likely still win Ligue 1 with relative ease, even without Mbappe. They wouldn't necessarily lack firepower even if they did do away with their top scorer in each of the past five seasons with replacements no doubt being sought to compliment the talent they already have.
It is on the Champions League stage that the lack of individual magic would potentially tell, but where do PSG draw the line with letting one man, no matter how special, be the centre piece of their system. There's an argument to suggest that no Mbappe may lead to more of a collective feeling.
Would teenage star Warren Zaïre-Emery grow in stature if he didn't have to sit in Mbappe's shadow, for example. PSG have such resources that leaving Mbappe sat in the stands wouldn't be an issue whilst accepting the modern day status quo may change the perception of the French club.
The bottom line is, in today's game, player's get what they want. How a club chooses to let that happen is up to them. Those who let players leave with minimal fuss, even if it means taking a bit of short-term pain, are the ones who always appear strongest.
Bayern Munich didn't want to lose Robert Lewandowski last summer, but the player's desire was so great they had no choice. Months later it was the Germans who beat PSG and Mbappe 3-0 on aggregate in Europe and are now on the hunt for their next marksman whilst the Parisians fret over just how they'd live without the Frenchman, who has ultimately failed to deliver the one prize they want.
That, in a nutshell is how a club, who also dominate their domestic scene, act when they have a long-term plan and believe they are bigger than one name. PSG act as if they're at that stage, but their handling of Mbappe's future this summer will speak to that.
