After the initial disappointment of Paris Saint-Germain playing out a stalemate with Lorient in their first Ligue 1 game of the season, PSG fans had something to cheer about as the club announced the reintegration of Kylian Mbappe with PSG first team squad.
The back-story
The development comes after a long drawn-out battle between the player’s side and the management over a potential departure for the French superstar.
Mbappe’s desire to see off his contract till 2024 without signing a new deal and leave the club as a free agent in 2024 sparked the tussle with PSG board as the club had no intention to let the most expensive player in football’s history leave the club for free.
Moreover, the club was convinced that the World Cup winner had signed a pre-agreement with Real Madrid to join them as a free agent in the summer of 2024, which could’ve paved the way for a huge signing bonus for the player and his agent.
The development
The stand-off now seems to be nearing towards a conclusion with PSG providing an official statement announcing they’ve held talks with Mbappe before their first game of the season and following the positive conclusion of those talks, Mbappe is being reintegrated into the team.
The statement from PSG read, “Following very constructive, positive talks between PSG and Kylian Mbappé before game vs Lorient, the player has been reinstated into first team training squad this morning”.
Heartbreak for Los Blancos, not for the first time!
The news would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Real Madrid fans who were hoping to see the talismanic attacker run riot through defenses at the Santiago Bernabeu soon. The dream to watch Mbappe at Bernabue still remains alive next season though, but only if PSG draw Real Madrid at any stage in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League!
This is the second time Mbappe had reportedly snubbed Real Madrid. In the summer of 2021, Mbappe looked Real Madrid bound when a last minute intrusion by French President Emmanuel Macron persuaded the World Cup hero to sign a contract extension.
Dembele the lucky charm?
Social media grew abuzz on Saturday with speculation regarding Mbappe ending the conflict with PSG through Mbappe’s social media post welcoming Ousmane Dembele to the club.
The PSG statement on Sunday proved the hunch right, with many wondering about the connection between Dembele’s arrival and Mbappe’s white flag.
