In a heated summer spat, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi reportedly warned Kylian Mbappe that he would never play for the club again. After refusing to commit his future to the Ligue 1 winners, the Frenchman was relegated to a group of undesirables. He notified the club that he will not exercise the one-year option in his contract, infuriating the Parisians.
Mbappe has recently returned to the PSG first team after conversations with the club. He has been named to Luis Enrique’s team for Saturday’s (August 19) Ligue 1 match against Toulouse. A brief discussion between the French forward and Al-Khelaifi offers a picture of the anger that erupted behind closed doors.
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Al-Khelaifi allegedly said to Mbappe: “You’ll see, you won’t play again! You’ll never play again! We won’t give up!”.
The attacker replied without hesitating: “You’ll see, what will I see? You’ll be the only president who won’t let me play!”
The France captain was absent from PSG’s preseason trip of Japan as questions about his future grew. The 24-year-old insisted on finishing the final year of his deal before becoming a free agent next summer.
Kylian Mbappe also sat out the Ligue 1 giants’ goalless draw against Lorient on August 12. The player was not expected to be at the Parc des Princes at the end of the summer transfer window.
Mbappe is said to have told PSG that he is willing to accept a bench role in order to force a summer move in 2024. He has, however, been recalled to the first-team squad. Luis Enrique can select him for this weekend’s match against Toulouse.
It remains to be seen whether there is any further movement about Mbappe’s future, with Real still in the background. According to previous reports, they are eager to sign him this summer, but they may want to wait until 2024.
The saga will almost certainly conclude when the transfer window ends. That, however, will not be the end of the affair. Rumours of a transfer to Real Madrid are expected to resurface in January, and then likely again.
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