PSG axe Mbappe from tour, might never play him again - sources

Posted Saturday, July 22, 2023 by ESPN

Kylian Mbappe has been excluded from the Paris Saint-Germain squad that will travel to Japan on Saturday for their preseason tour and sources have told ESPN that the French champions are considering never playing their star forward again.

Mbappe, 24, has only one year left on his contract and has told the club that he intends to run down his deal and leave as a free agent in the summer of 2024.

PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi has previously said Mbappe must sign a new contract this summer to stay at the club and they are now executing on that tough stance.

Sources told ESPN that Mbappe, who was told the news on Friday after scoring in a 2-0 friendly win over Le Havre, was surprised by the move but has accepted it.

Still, Friday's development represents a further escalation in the difficult relationship between the French club and their marquee player and is likely to deepen the crisis between the two parties.

"Players who don't want to be here, the door is open," Al-Khelaifi told the squad on Tuesday without naming the French prodigy who was present in the room.

However, Mbappe will not change his mind and sign a new deal. He repeated that stance once more to the club earlier this week, which further angered Al-Khelaifi and the Qatari owners and likely led to the decision to exclude him from the touring squad.

Mbappe, who has finished as Ligue 1's top scorer in the past five seasons, sent a letter to PSG last month stating that he had no intention of extending his contract.

But he later clarified that he had not asked the French club to allow him to move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, who have in the past tried and failed to land the France international.

ESPN reported that the LaLiga giants have everything in place for when they get the green light either from Mbappe or PSG. They are aware the deal will exceed €200m given the fee, add-ons and commission.

Madrid are the only club Mbappe wants to join this summer, sources told ESPN, and they are the only team who can realistically afford him.

According to ESPN sources, there has been no contact between the two clubs but Madrid have been talking to Mbappe's entourage for some time.

If Mbappe runs down his contract, PSG would be unable to recoup any of the €180 million ($197m) they spent to sign him from AS Monaco in 2017.