The break is over. Kylian Mbappe has spent the summer far away from the noise of Paris, instead embarking on a globetrotting break with visits to Miami, Cameroon and the small quiet town of Le Thor, near Avignon in the south of France. But as off-field debates about his future rumble on, the 24-year-old will today resume his day job. He returns to the French capital for pre-season training, still contracted to Paris Saint-Germain.
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Monday marks the return of international players from their off-season breaks at PSG and for Mbappe, it will mean a first proper experience of the new training ground. It is an impressive site and is symbolic, the club hopes, of ushering in a new era. But the question on everyone’s lips is whether the France captain will stick around to lead it.
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Mbappe’s return to pre-season training is the first crunch point of a few this month, as deliberations around his future reach a crescendo. After training, and meeting new coach Luis Enrique for the first time, Mbappe’s next juncture will be a pre-season friendly against Le Havre on Friday. The next day, PSG travel to Japan for their pre-season tour. The final friendly overseas is against Inter and the new season begins on the weekend of August 13, against Lorient.
Before that, though, PSG have set down a deadline to resolve his contract stand-off. That date is July 31. For Mbappe, though, there is nothing to fix.
So as PSG attempt to focus on the football again, here is the state of play surrounding the world’s best footballer.
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How did we get here?
Discussions about Mbappe’s future are becoming an annual event, and this saga picks up from where the last one left off.
Last summer, Mbappe signed a new contract with PSG. He was close to signing for Real Madrid on a free transfer but surprised the Spanish club by putting pen to paper in Paris. He paraded a shirt at the Parc des Princes which read ‘2025’ on the back. However, in reality, this was a contract of two years with the option of one more. The power to extend that option was in the hands of Mbappe, and a decision had to be made by July 31.
This was a highly lucrative contract, making Mbappe the best-paid footballer in Europe and potentially, as L’Equipe wrote this year, the highest earner anywhere in sport. Some reports suggested a salary of €1million (£857,000; $1.1m) per week, while club sources — who, like others cited in this piece, spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships — told The Athletic last month that the figure would be closer to €40million annually. It contains a large signing-on bonus, a loyalty bonus for each each year, and a bonus for an extension. Le Parisien reported that the contract was worth €630million before tax, if extended.
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Fast forward to this summer and this all erupted spectacularly again. L’Equipe were first to write that Mbappe had sent a letter to PSG, informing them he did not intend to trigger his contract extension. However, Mbappe had also stated publicly — and has continued to do so since — that he does not want to leave the club this summer. Without renewing his contract, that means departing for free in 2024. PSG are completely opposed to that, and they outlined their stance in a three-page letter sent to Mbappe earlier this month, dated July 3.
So now there is a stand-off. A game of high-stakes poker is well under way. And there are two opposing stances.
What is the state of play for PSG?
PSG do not want to lose their best player for no fee. For them, it’s simple: Mbappe leaves now or next summer for a fee. Ideally, the latter, which they see as everybody winning: PSG get a fee, and Mbappe leads the club for one more year before leaving Paris after the Olympics, in 2024.
The thought of losing him for free? “We cannot let the best player in the world right now leave for free,” said club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi on July 5. “That is impossible.”
PSG were upset by the public nature of Mbappe’s first letter and believe that he gave his word that he would not run down his deal. “Mbappe has said that he will not leave for free,” said Al-Khelaifi.
Sources with knowledge of the matter acknowledge that, if he does run down his deal, it will cause financial issues for the club. His contract is large, so much so that potential investors into the club see it as a liability. The impact on financial fair play of receiving a fee or not means the club have paused certain transfer activity — such as the pursuit of Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva — until matters become clearer. There is the threat, they claim, that players may be sold and other staff changes. This is due to a £150million black hole that is not accounted for.
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Privately, some wonder if this is a play about a contract renewal. Either way, in their letter to Mbappe, PSG set a deadline of July 31 for a resolution. This date is the same as the deadline for triggering the extension.
And what about Mbappe?
Mbappe’s stance has not changed. He wants to play for PSG next season, and has said so on multiple occasions. He called reports about wishing to leave PSG this summer “lies”. Last month, after the leaking of his letter, his entourage released a statement via French news agency AFP insisting that an extension was not discussed over the year and that Mbappe was only confirming no extension this summer and not asking to leave.
Speaking to Telefoot while on international duty last month with France, Mbappe said: “I have already said that I will stay. I have already said that long before all this happened. There are a lot of things that happen in a year, even more so at a club like Paris Saint-Germain.”
Mbappe does not, though, want to trigger the extension in his contract that is due to expire on July 31. This sets up the possibility of a free departure next summer, where Real Madrid are thought to be his likely destination.
PSG have spoken about him wanting to keep his word but, according to L’Equipe, he privately feels he does not accept ever making his word that he would not leave for free. Communication between Al-Khelaifi and Mbappe’s mother, Fayza Lamari, who represents him, is said to be minimal.
Fundamentally, it is Mbappe who holds the cards here.
Where does Luis Enrique fit into all of this?
Luis Enrique was immediately confronted by Mbappe’s situation during his first press conference, when asked if he was given assurances about Mbappe’s future by the club.
“An assurance that he will be there? When I signed, when we talked about forming a squad, we always remain open, a lot of things can happen,” he said. “These are subjects that I will keep private, it’s a bit of professional secrecy… but we will try to make the best possible squad.
“I am counting on all the players under contract and those we are trying to get. There are things happening behind the scenes. The transfer window is constantly changing. We will have a great team; I am sure and the fans will be proud. What we say with Luis Campos (the club’s football advisor) and the president stays between us.”
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Luis Enrique joined PSG with a full awareness and understanding of the contract situation. His approach to Mbappe within the squad will be interesting to watch. He has dealt with big stars before and he feels, thanks to a playing career at Real Madrid, Barcelona and with the Spanish national team, that he can level with the elite players. “I feel good with the players who are selfish and smart,” he said. “If they sense you are there to help them, they follow you. The key is to give them a stage on which they can perform at their best.”
Luis Enrique is not afraid to assert his authority. At Barcelona, he made it clear that Xavi was not an automatic pick and dropped Gerard Pique in early season games in order to improve the defender’s focus on training. He had a stand-off with Lionel Messi in their first season together, which even saw Messi miss training without permission and consider leaving Barca in January 2015, but their relationship improved along the way to winning the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble a few months later.
With Spain, he faced the ire of Sergio Ramos after leaving him out of his squads and at Celta Vigo, was a battle of wills with long-serving midfield general Borja Oubina. With Ramos, he reportedly defied his superiors initially to keep him involved when a clean sweep was desired after the Russia World Cup.
Luis Enrique’s teams are a collective structures, and even the treble winners of 2015, with Messi and Neymar in attack, were not excluded from off-ball hard work. His footballing identity is a part of PSG’s push to a new era, and his stance, particularly if pressure comes to drop Mbappe if there is no contract resolution, will be intriguing.
And were there rumblings within the squad?
A return to training will see Mbappe reunited with his team-mates. Mbappe has always had an elevated status but the recent contract dilemmas have not escaped his team-mates, and there has been frustration.
Notably, six players complained to the PSG club president about an interview Mbappe gave to France Football. The interview was conducted in June — before the latest contract drama — but it was only published this month. Within it, Mbappe called PSG a “divisive club” that can “attract gossip”, when responding to a question about whether his successes have been trivialised. He suggested that the club’s lack of success in the Champions League was a question for those who “build the team”.
It has been felt that the big stars in the team have held each other back rather than complement one other. With Messi departing, a new coach arriving, and new faces within the group, the dynamic has changed. For all the drama, Mbappe’s talent makes him a crucial aspect of the team’s ambitions, and that will not be lost on the squad
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So, what’s next?
Real Madrid are the quiet third party in this soap opera. Real felt hurt by Mbappe’s late u-turn last summer, when he snubbed a huge contract to renew with PSG. But The Athletic reported in January that Madrid have not forgotten about Mbappe, and have kept in touch with his camp.
Madrid’s intention has been to have a financial plan in place to sign him if the opportunity were to present itself. That remains the case. Signing him for free next summer was the main plan but the loss of Karim Benzema this summer, who has joined Al Ittihad, may have changed the landscape. They are waiting for developments in the background.
Outside of Spain, there are other clubs in France watching on. Ligue 1’s domestic and international rights are up for tender in September, and an already weak market was weakened when Messi departed. Losing Mbappe would have a huge impact.
PSG have limited cards to play, other than to stress the damage he will cause to the club by running down his contract, and therefore the fan resentment that could be triggered in his final year in response. The possibility of benching Mbappe, to force the issue, has not been ruled out.
Mbappe, though, is the master of his own destiny. He has plotted a course, and whether he follows that through, the next few weeks will indicate. Knowing Paris, it is unlikely to pass quietly.
(Top photo: FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI/AFP via Getty Images)