France's forward Kylian Mbappe gives a press conference at the team's training grounds in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, southwest of Paris, on June 13, 2021, during the UEFA EURO 2020 European Football Championship. / AFP / FRANCK FIFE
Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappé must sign a new contract if he wants to stay at the club, as the French champions will not let him leave for free next year, club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said on Wednesday.
Mbappé sent a letter to PSG last month stating that he had no intention of extending his contract, which expires in 2024.
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 World Cup-winning forward.
PSG face the dilemma of allowing Mbappé to run down the final year of his contract and being unable to recoup any of the €180 million ($195.7m) they spent in 2017 to sign him from AS Monaco.
“My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it every time: if Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he needs to sign a new contract,” Al-Khelaifi told reporters after unveiling Luis Enrique as the club’s new manager.
“We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free — we can’t do that. This is a French club.
“He said he would never leave for free. If he changes his mind today, it’s not my fault. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free, that’s very clear.”
Mbappé has finished as Ligue 1’s top scorer in the past five seasons, and PSG will be eager to keep him, having already lost Lionel Messi on a free transfer.
Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, opted not to renew his contract for a move to Inter Miami.
Mbappé also said French President Emmanuel Macron had no influence on his career choices after the leader said he would push for the forward to stay in the country’s capital.
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