Kylian Mbappe ‘barred’ from training with PSG first-team amid contract stand-off
Kylian Mbappe, the talented footballer, is currently facing a contract dispute with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). As the French champions return to their training base after their pre-season tour, Mbappe is expected to be excluded from the first-team training sessions. Instead, he will be part of a separate training group known as the ‘loft’ team. This situation arises as Mbappe’s standoff with the club continues.
Reports suggest that PSG sources firmly believe Mbappe has already agreed to a free transfer deal with Real Madrid, as his contract with PSG expires next summer. However, Mbappe’s management has rejected an offer from PSG to sign a new contract that includes a guaranteed sale clause. This clause would allow him to join another club for a fee next summer. From PSG’s perspective, this offer seems reasonable, as it grants Mbappe the freedom to leave whenever he desires and join the club of his choice.
Interestingly, Al Hilal, a Saudi club, had expressed interest in signing Mbappe and even submitted a world record bid of £259 million. However, Mbappe declined to meet with the delegates from Al Hilal who had flown to Paris. Other clubs, such as Chelsea and Barcelona, are also reportedly exploring player-plus-cash deals to acquire Mbappe’s services. The 24-year-old forward, who was part of France’s World Cup-winning squad in 2018 and showcased his skills in the recent tournament in Qatar, is highly sought after.
PSG’s 2023/24 Ligue 1 campaign will commence with a home match against Lorient on Saturday. Mbappe initially joined PSG from Monaco in 2017 on a loan deal before making the move permanent in 2018. He has been a prolific scorer for the club, netting 212 goals in 260 appearances and contributing to 12 trophy wins, including five Ligue 1 titles.
Despite Mbappe’s impressive contributions, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi appears determined to make things challenging for the star player. As it stands, Mbappe is set to leave PSG on a free transfer next summer.
Kylian Mbappe has been “barred” from PSG first-team training amid an ongoing contractual stand-off.
The 22-year-old French soccer star’s contract with the Parisian club expires in June 2022 and both parties have so far made little progress in negotiations for a new agreement. Reports now suggest that the situation has reached such a deadlock that Mbappe has been forbidden from joining the rest of the squad, leaving him to work alone inseparably at training.
This latest development adds an extra worrisome layer to the saga, with the Frenchman’s long-term commitment to PSG appearing firmly in the balance. As reported, the standoff between Mbappe and his employers is only intensifying, with a solution yet to be found.
Mbappe, who moved to PSG from Monaco alongside Bernardo Silva for a reported fee of €180m in 2018, has since been long considered one of the best players in world football. During his three-year stint in Paris, he has scored a remarkable 100 goals in 117 appearances, lifting the Ligue 1 ‘golden boot’ in the process.
Off the back of this formidable domestic performance, the French international has repeatedly been linked with big-money moves to European powerhouses like Real Madrid, Liverpool and Manchester City. All three teams have been monitoring the situation with a keen eye, making the current PSG stalemate a matter of speculation across the continent.
One thing is for certain – with this news bringing with it a heightened sense of uncertainty and shrouded mystery, the coming days will make for compelling viewing.