LONDON – Kylian Mbappe will be barred from training with Paris St Germain’s (PSG) main first-team group as his contract dispute with the club continues, the PA news agency understands.
PSG returned to their training base today following their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea, but Mbappe will be part of the so-called “loft” training group rather than the first team as his stand-off with the club drags on, said German news agency (dpa)
PSG sources remain convinced the player, who was out of contract next summer, has already agreed to a free transfer deal with Real Madrid.
Mbappe’s management was understood to have refused to engage with an offer from the club to sign a new contract containing a guaranteed sale clause, which would allow him to join another club for a fee next summer.
From PSG’s perspective, there was no reason why he would turn down the offer because it gave him the opportunity to leave and join the club whenever he wanted.
PSG had given Al Hilal permission to speak to the player after they tabled a world record bid of £259 million (RM1.5 million) last month, but Mbappe reportedly refused to even meet with delegates from the Saudi club who had flown to Paris.
Chelsea and Barcelona were understood to be two of the clubs trying to work out a player-plus-cash deal for Mbappe, who was part of France’s World Cup-winning squad in 2018 and also one of the stars of the last tournament in Qatar.
PSG kicked off their 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign at home to Lorient on Saturday. – Bernama, August 7, 2023
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