PSG boss Galtier: I don't need to 'convince' Mbappe to stay at PSG

Posted Saturday, March 11, 2023 by ESPN

Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has said he would not have to "convince" Kylian Mbappe to stay at the club following their Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich this week.

A disappointed Mbappe refused to discuss his future beyond this season following PSG's 3-0 aggregate loss in the round of 16 on Wednesday. The 2018 World Cup winner added that while Bayern were a team "built to win the Champions League," the French champions had produced the "maximum" they could achieve.

"I do not have to try to convince Kylian [to stay]," Galtier said Friday ahead of PSG's Ligue 1 match away at Brest on Saturday.

"Kylian has expressed it himself, but if you had asked any player you would have found him in the same state -- very disappointed after the elimination.

"Concerning Kylian, Kylian is a PSG player and he shows it in every game. He has a great determination to succeed and to perform well in order to help bring the club up to as high a level as possible."

Kylian Mbappe's future has again be called into question following PSG's Champions League exit.

Mbappe has been a long-term target of Real Madrid and was widely expected to move to the Spanish giants when his contract expired last summer. Instead he signed a new three-year contract to keep him in Paris.

There has also been speculation over the future of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos, with both of their contracts set to expire at the end of this season.

Messi, 35, has been linked with a move to MLS side Inter Miami as well as a return to Barcelona. Ramos, 36, arrived from Real Madrid in 2021 and recently retired from international duty with Spain.

Galtier, though, said he was relaxed about their current situations.

"No, there is no doubt that these two great players, with an incredible record of achievements, are capable of dealing with this kind of situation," he said.

"They knew from their careers how to win this [Champions League] trophy and they have also experienced eliminations -- they are used to it.

"They are people, very high-level players, who go quickly from one match to another. And concerning their personal situation, their contractual situation, they are people who are used to managing this kind of moment."

PSG said on Friday that their Brazilian forward Neymar had successfully undergone surgery on his right ankle. The club announced earlier this week that the injury would keep the 31-year-old sidelined for the rest of the season.