Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe again committed his short-term future to the club amid rumors linking him with a summer move to Real Madrid.
“Am I going to leave PSG? I’ve already answered, I’ve said that my objective is to stay at PSG, that’s my only option at the moment,” Mbappe said while speaking with media members ahead of France’s European Championship qualifier against Gibraltar on Friday, as shared by Sky Sports News. “I’m ready to come back when preseason resumes. I didn’t think a letter killed anyone or that I had offended anyone.”
It was reported Monday that Mbappe informed Paris Saint-Germain via a letter he won’t exercise his player option for a third season attached to what is now known to be a two-year contract he signed in May 2022. His representatives insisted in a statement Paris Saint-Germain have known of his plans since last July.
It was widely assumed Mbappe would join Real Madrid last summer before he put pen to paper on his current deal. The 24-year-old World Cup winner grew up supporting the Spanish giants, and ESPN’s Alex Kirkland, Rodrigo Faez and Julien Laurens reported Real Madrid are prepared to bid for Mbappe and that Paris Saint-Germain could sell him for a transfer fee of around $161.5M.
According to Sky and ESPN, it was reported earlier in the week that French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for Mbappe to stay in Paris. Mbappe said Thursday that Macron has no “influence” on his decision but added the two are “on the same wavelength” as it pertains to Mbappe playing for Paris Saint-Germain during the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve been used to it since I was very young,” Mbappe said about ignoring potential distractions ahead of featuring for France. “I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game. That’s my only concern. What happens outside is secondary, I’ve always managed to do both. I want to show tomorrow that I’m a great player.”
ESPN reported Mbappe previously told Paris Saint-Germain teammates that “he wasn’t ruling out leaving” the club this summer, which contradicts what he’s said and tweeted. While Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol suggested that Mbappe may simply be using interest from Real Madrid to land a lucrative extension from Paris Saint-Germain, the superstar sounds prepared to run his current contract out and leave the club as a free agent next year.
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