PSG players complain to Nasser Al-Khelaifi after Kylian Mbappe calls the French side a ‘divisive team’
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Kylian Mbappe, Ligue 1‘s top scorer in the last five seasons, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Six Paris Saint-Germain players have complained to club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi about an interview star striker Kylian Mbappe gave to the publication France Football.
Mbappe has described his club as a “divisive team”, amid a contract stand-off
The bombshell interview took place during the June international break, before the 24-year-old told PSG via a letter that he would not trigger a one-year contract extension.
“I think that playing for PSG doesn’t help much because they are a divisive team, a divisive club. So, of course it attracts gossip,” he told France Football. He did not elaborate.
According to RMC Sport, two of the six players are new signings, narrowing the field down to two out of defender Milan Skriniar, midfielder Manuel Ugarte and winger Marco Asensio.
One of the messages sent to the PSG president reportedly described Mbappe’s interview as “an insult to the club”.
RMC Sport has also suggested that Al-Khelaifi’s reaction to Mbappe’s comments are: “If this is what he thinks, why doesn’t he just leave now?”
Relations between PSG and Mbappe soured in June
If he runs down his contract, PSG would be unable to recoup any of the €180 million (S$265.8 million) they spent to sign him. Al-Khelaifi has said they will not let him go for free.
He had said: “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.”
Mbappe, Ligue 1’s top scorer in the last five seasons, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.
According to Sky Sports, PSG are of the belief that he has already agreed to join the Spanish giants on a free transfer next season.
The Frenchman had been widely touted to move to Real last summer, before inking a contract extension with PSG.
Real president Florentino Perez later said: “His dream was to play at Real Madrid. We wanted to do it last August and they didn’t let him leave. He kept saying he wanted to play at Madrid and, like 15 days before, he changed the situation.
“This is not the Mbappe I wanted to bring. He is another one, who must have changed his dream.”
However, The Athletic have reported that he has since apologised to Perez for how that situation played out, smoothing things out for a potential future transfer.
PSG have won nine of the last 11 Ligue 1 titles, but Mbappe’s frustration lies with their performances in the Champions League – a trophy the Parisian club have never won despite all their investment in the squad.
PSG went out in the last 16 last season when they were beaten by Bayern Munich, failing to score in both legs. Mbappe was injured for the first leg and said they were “helpless” in the second.
Mbappe said he was the “most decisive player” in the group stage, but could not explain what PSG were missing with the club hitting a “glass ceiling” in Europe.
He said: “I don’t know what PSG lack to win the Champions League; it’s not a question for me. You need to talk to the people who shape the team, who organise the squad, who build this club....
“I’ve been the top scorer in Ligue 1 for five consecutive years and yet, according to my critics, I could do even better. Sometimes in football, you encounter what is known as a glass ceiling. That’s why it’s not a pressing question for me; it’s a question for those in charge.”
PSG continued strengthening their squad with the addition of Bayern defender Lucas Hernandez on Sunday.
The signing of the 27-year-old French player follows the recruitment of South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in, 22, from Real Mallorca on Saturday. REUTERS, AFP
