Kylian Mbappe seeks PSG exit in January amid broken relationship with club – sources
Kylian Mbappe is pushing for a move away from Paris Saint-Germain in January, as his relationship with the club has broken down, according to ESPN.
Five months after Mbappe, 23, signed a new contract with PSG, sources say he feels estranged with the club’s direction on and off the pitch and is open to any destination, but signing for Real Madrid would be his preference, sources added.
There has been no official comment from PSG, but sources have said the club want to keep Mbappe and intend to resolve the situation after Tuesday night’s Champions League game against Benfica, which ended in a 1-1 draw with the France international starting and scoring for the hosts.
Sources said Mbappe thinks promises made by sporting director Luis Campos, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and manager Christophe Galtier have not been kept. Sources close to Mbappe say he made a mistake by agreeing a new deal to stay at the club in May.
Speaking before PSG’s draw with Benfica, Campos said Mbappe had not asked him or Al-Khelaifi to leave the club in January.
“I am very surprised because I spend all my days with Kylian Mbappe, and he never once asked me or the president to leave in January,” Campos told RMC Sport.
“We have to be very clear that this isn’t a declaration — it is news that has come out a few hours before a very important match against Benfica.
“As for me, I have a three year contract at PSG and I am very happy to be here, in this place — and I work everyday so that I can fulfil my ambitions at the end of my contract.”
The three-year deal Mbappe signed in May made him the highest-paid player in world football, according to sources, and included a sizeable signing-on fee.
According to Forbes, Mbappe will earn $128 million for the 2022-23 season — a record for the magazine’s annual rankings. His appearance at the top of football’s rich list represented the first time a player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo had reached No.1 in eight years.
Mbappe voiced his concerns in September after France beat Austria in the UEFA Nations League, saying he was having more fun playing for the national team because he had more freedom than at PSG.
“‘What they ask of me here is different,” Mbappe said. “Here, I have much more freedom than at PSG.
“The coach knows that there is a ‘9,’ like [Olivier] Giroud, and so I can move and go into space. In Paris it is different — they ask me to play pivot, although I enjoy [playing] everywhere.”
Galtier appeared to acknowledge there were issues with Mbappe in a news conference on Monday, but after Tuesday’s match with Benfica he said: “I haven’t talked to him about it. My goal was to stay focused on the game. Tonight he gave everything and he showed he is a great player.”