Kylian Mbappe's tenure at Paris Saint-Germain appears to be coming to a close after the France superstar revealed he had never discussed extending his contract with the club beyond next year.
This Tuesday, Mbappé and his entourage made the statement one day after he sent a letter to the Paris club confirming he would not take up an option to remain with the French champions until 2025.
His comments immediately raised the spectre of the 24-year-old forward – one of the most coveted players in world football – following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi out of Parc des Princes this summer because if PSG do not cash in by selling him now, he could leave for nothing at the end of next season.
According to the statement, Mbappé said he had informed PSG "on July 15, 2022" of his decision not to activate an option to extend his contract – which ends after next season – for an extra year "and the only aim of the letter was to confirm what had already been spoken about previously".
"Kylian Mbappé and his entourage confirm that this matter has not been discussed over the course of the year, except a fortnight ago to announce the sending of the letter.
"No potential contract extension has been mentioned," it continued.
"After maintaining publicly in recent weeks that he would be a PSG player next season, Kylian Mbappé has not asked to leave this summer and has just confirmed to the club that he would not be activating the extra year," the text explained.
The statement concluded by saying that the 2018 World Cup winner and those closest to him "regret that the letter was circulated in the media and that these exchanges were made public with the sole aim of damaging their image and the discussions with the club."
Dans un communiqué adressé à l'AFP ce mardi, Kylian Mbappé explique n'avoir jamais discuté d'une prolongation de contrat au-delà de 2024 avec le PSG : https://t.co/myJQPZRvap pic.twitter.com/KoiaBRO3pT
— L'ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) June 13, 2023
'Major blow' to PSG
Mbappé's letter to PSG comes a year after the player signed a new deal to stay at the French champions, turning down an approach from Real Madrid in the process.
Qatar-owned PSG reportedly have no intention of letting Mbappé leave for nothing and were surprised that the letter was leaked.
With the player confirming he will leave when his contract expires in 2024, PSG risk losing a huge asset for nothing in a year's time, meaning they could now opt to sell him in the current transfer window, which is open until 1 September.
Mbappé's decision not to renew, first revealed by French sports daily L'Equipe, is a major blow to PSG.
The move comes as PSG have been planning to make him the focal point of their team after allowing Messi to leave at the end of his own two-year contract.
Meanwhile, Mbappé himself has underlined on Twitter that he intends to continue to play with PSG until the end of the season – where he is "very happy" – dismissing any claims he will join Real Madrid this summer as "lies."
MENSONGES…❌
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 13, 2023
En même temps plus c’est gros plus ça passe. J’ai déjà dis que je vais continuer la saison prochaine au PSG où je suis très heureux. https://t.co/QTsoBQvZKU
Real Madrid on alert
However, having missed out on him a year ago, Spanish side Real Madrid would again lead the suitors.
They are in the market for a new striker after reigning Ballon d'Or laureat Karim Benzema ended his 14-year stay in the Spanish capital by moving to Saudi Arabia.
Mbappé is currently with the France squad preparing for Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Gibraltar and Greece.
Recently made the new France captain, a smiling Mbappé appeared relaxed as he trained with his teammates at their base near Paris on Monday.
He was just a teenager when he joined PSG on a season-long loan from Monaco in August 2017, just after helping the club from the principality win the Ligue 1 title.
The move turned into a permanent transfer the following year in a €180 million deal.
🚨💭 After the decision of #Mbappè not to renew his contract with #PSG, #RealMadrid are now exploring the opportunity to sign him already in this transfer session. #RMCF
— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) June 13, 2023
‼️ Complicated situation as of now, but for sure it's going to be a long summer for Kylian. 🐓⚽ #Transfers pic.twitter.com/cSx6mwYhmJ
Top of his game
In 2018, he helped France to World Cup glory in Russia and has established himself as arguably the leading forward on the global stage.
Mbappé scored a hat-trick in France's 2022 World Cup final defeat to Messi's Argentina before helping PSG win a record 11th French title.
He was Ligue 1's top scorer last season with 29 goals and netted 41 in 43 games in all competitions.
Yet it was a frustrating season, as PSG were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Bayern Munich and lost at the same stage in the French Cup.
Poor performances in the second half of the campaign persuaded PSG not to offer new terms to Messi, who fell out with the club after missing training to take an unauthorised trip to Saudi Arabia.
Last week Messi announced that he would move to MLS side Inter Miami.
PSG are reportedly working on bringing in new signings and are also expected to bring in a new coach to replace Christophe Galtier.
