If Kylian Mbappe Wants to Stay, He Must Sign a New Contract: PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi – News18

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has stated that Kylian Mbappe must sign a new contract with the club if he wants to stay at the club for the next season. The PSG-Mbappe saga has been the talking point of transfer window for the past few days as several European giants are also keeping a close eye on it.

After last season, Mbappe informed the club that he will not sign a contract extension with the club which will end in 2024, however, he assured that he wants to continue at PSG next season.

Khelaifi has made his point very clear that he won’t let Mbappe leave PSG for free after his contract ends in 2024 and he has to sign a new contract with the club if he wants to stay.

“The position is very clear. If Kylian wants to stay, he must sign a new contract. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” Khelaifi said when asked about the France forward after Luis Enrique was unveiled as the club’s new coach.

“He said he would not leave for free. If somebody has changed his mind, that is not my fault,” he added.

The Paris Saint-Germain president said that he was surprised when Mbappe decided not to extend his contract and intend to leave the club for free.

“I was really shocked to learn that Mbappé intended to leave for free.  Kylian is a fantastic boy, a gentleman… and leaving for free, when we’re the biggest French club, it’s not at his level. I was shocked and disappointed”, told Le Parisien.

Mbappe joined PSG from Monaco in August 2017 in a 180 million-euro ($196m) deal and has gone on to establish himself as one of the world’s most prominent players.

He won the 2018 FIFA World Cup and reached the final in 2022 showpiece event in Qatar where he scored a hat-trick against Argentina.

The 24-year-old was Ligue 1’s top scorer last season with 29 goals and netted 41 in 43 games in all competitions.

He has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid where he was expected to go a year back when his previous contract came to an end, only to agree a new deal to remain in Paris.

That was a two-year contract with the option of a third season which would take him to 2025, which the player has said he would not take up, even if he has indicated his intention to see out his existing deal.

“I said that next year I will play for PSG. I still have a year left on my contract and I am going to honour my contract,” Mbappe said in May.

Luis Enrique, who has signed a two-year contract in Paris to take over as coach from Christophe Galtier, was evasive when asked on Wednesday if he received any guarantees that Mbappe would remain for the coming campaign.

However, he later said that he was “counting on all the players who are under contract”.