Following the presentation of Luis Enrique as Paris Saint-Germain’s new manager, president Nasser Al-Khelaifi publicly spoke for the first time about the latest transfer saga surrounding France captain Kylian Mbappé (24). Whilst he indicated that he was not willing to let go of the Bondy native for free, Al-Khelaifi spoke to Le Parisien following the press conference to elaborate on his hard-line stance.
“We want him to stay but he can’t leave for free. That was our verbal agreement and he expressed it publicly in an interview. So it’s not debatable,” began the PSG president, “I was really shocked to learn that he intended to leave for free. It’s very disappointing because Kylian is a fantastic lad, a real gentleman, and to leave for free, by weakening the biggest French club, is not him. When I received this information, I was shocked and disappointed.”
With the transfer window already open, PSG and Mbappé are quickly running out of time to resolve the latest saga on. Al-Khelaifi agrees that the matter is urgent, and put a timescale on when the Frenchman needs to commit to his PSG future.
“That’s why he has to make up his mind next week, or in a fortnight at the most,” adding that “If he doesn’t want to sign a new contract, the door is open. That’s how it is for him and for everyone else. No one is bigger than the club, no player, not even me. That’s very clear.”
GFFN | George Boxall
