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Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al Khelaïfi on Tuesday reiterated to RMC Sport that he wants Kylian Mbappé to stay with the club when his contract expires in June.
“Look, I am not trying to hide anything. I want Kylian Mbappé to stay at PSG. He’s the best player in the world and the best club for him is PSG,” Al Khelaïfi said on the Rothen s’enflamme RMC podcast. “He is central to our project.”
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Sources told ESPN on Monday that Mbappé will decide his club future in the next few weeks, with Real Madrid and Liverpool the most likely destinations should he opt to leave the French capital.
PSG remain very keen on retaining Mbappé, who is the club’s record goal scorer. He will not trigger his option for a one-year extension, meaning he is free to speak to other clubs about a summer move under the Bosman ruling.
Real Madrid, who have been most heavily linked, have already made it clear that they want a swift decision from the France international. This comes after their experience back in 2022 when long negotiations were held with Mbappé before the forward eventually decided that he would stay in Paris.
Al Khelaïfi insisted that his goal was continued success for the club.
“We have done a lot of things, some have worked more than others,” he said. “We have made mistakes and this is normal. Now we have a young team, with French players, and we are not in a hurry, this is for the long-term. We have put together a team that is solid on a technical level and our system of play has been changed and it is a pleasure to watch this team. We play as a team, we defend as a team, it is magnificent.”
Despite reports in France on Monday that Mbappé has agreed to join Madrid, ESPN sources said no agreement has been reached though there remains contact between the two parties.
Mbappé said last week that he has yet to make up his mind over leaving but that PSG would be protected financially if he does leave on a free transfer (the club have agreed not pay a substantial loyalty bonus of around €80m should he leave.)