“I am staying here, I am staying here,” said Kylian Mbappé (24) as he celebrated his goal against Toulouse FC on Saturday, putting an end to speculation of a departure from Paris Saint-Germain… for now.
The Mbappé saga has dragged on throughout the summer. After sending a letter, informing the club that he wouldn’t be triggering the one-year extension in his contract, a bitter feud between the player and PSG erupted. The France captain was left out of the club’s tour of Japan and South Korea, and a world-record bid from Saudi Arabia was even accepted. However, Mbappé’s stance has always remained clear: he wants to remain at the club this season, but not beyond. PSG, determined not to lose the world’s most valuable player on a free next summer have been keen to sell Mbappé or force him into a one-year extension.
After missing Les Parisiens’ Ligue 1 opener, Mbappé was reintegrated into the first-team setup last weekend, despite reports from L’Équipe that Mbappé’s stance on a contract extension remains unchanged. Whilst considerable doubts remain about the Frenchman’s long-term PSG future, he seems to have put speculation of a departure this summer to bed.
Mbappé came off the bench against Toulouse, won a penalty and converted it as PSG drew their second game in a row. During his celebrations, he went up to the PSG ultras, repeating “I am staying here.”
GFFN | Luke Entwistle
