July 6 – Paris St-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has warned Kylian Mbappe he will not be allowed to leave the club as a free agent next summer.
Al-Khelaifi says the French superstar must sign a new contract imminently if he wants to stay, ramping up the high-stakes game between player and club.
Mbappe has told the club he will not extend his contract beyond 2024 but Al-Khelaifi charged: “My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it every time: if Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he needs to sign a new contract.”
“We cannot let one of the best players in the world right now leave for free. That is impossible.”
Mbappé has long been linked with Real Madrid but that he expects to start the new season in Paris since “staying at Paris Saint-Germain is my only option, for the moment.”
Running down his contract would mean PSG losing out on a transfer fee likely to exceed the world record €222 million it paid Barcelona for Neymar six years ago.
As a free agent, conversely, Mbappé could command a colossal signing-on fee if Madrid did not have to pay PSG for the transfer of a player who cost the French club €180 million euros in 2017 when he arrived from Monaco.
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