06 August 2023 , 21:45
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Paris Saint-Germain have frozen out Kylian Mbappe and are willing to leave him on the sidelines until he makes a decision on his future.
Mbappe is in a stand-off with his employers, who are furious with his refusal to commit his future to the club. The 24-year-old forward is out of contract next summer and wants to leave on a free transfer at the end of the 2023/24 season.
That is not an eventuality that PSG are prepared to allow, given his huge value as one of the world’s best players. Club president Nasser Al Khelaifi wants him to sign a contract extension, or be sold for a huge transfer fee this summer.
Mbappe was left out of the squad for PSG’s pre-season tour of Asia and is training with a 15-man ‘bomb squad’ of transfer-listed players. The France star is currently in limbo, with his main suitor, Real Madrid, biding their time in the hope they can sign him for free next summer.
L’Equipe reports that the club are sticking to their guns and are ready to leave him out of their squad to face Lorient next week in their Ligue 1 season-opener. He is also reportedly unlikely to feature on the trip to Toulouse the following week, with manager Luis Enrique being told he can only work with players who are committed to the cause.
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Al Khelaifi is determined to draw a line in the sand after years of the club being dictated to by megastars like Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi. Mbappe has been frozen out along with other transfer-listed players like Gini Wijnaldum, Leandro Paredes, Julian Draxler, Abdou Diallo and Colin Dagba.
Mbappe doesn’t seem too concerned about his prospects, having been pictured stepping off a private jet to relax in Sardinia over the weekend. He was then spotted out partying with Real Madrid forward Rodrygo on the Italian island, fuelling speculation he will leave for the Spanish giants.
Kylian Mbappe is involved in a high-stakes game of poker with PSG (Getty Images)Real are yet to make an official offer for Mbappe because they want the striker to make a public statement about his desire to leave. Currently his stance is that he wants to play for PSG in the 2023/24 season and then leave in the summer when his contract expires.
Mbappe has had one offer, but he reportedly snubbed an £11.6million per week offer from Saudi Arabia. He has also rejected the offer of a ‘guaranteed sale’ clause for the end of the season, preferring the freedom given by a free transfer.
He has scored 212 goals in 260 games for PSG since joining the club in a €180m transfer from Monaco in 2017. Mbappe has helped the club win five Ligue 1 titles, but the Champions League has remained elusive for the cash-rich Qatari-owned side.