
FILE PHOTO: Kylian Mbappe could be on his way out this summer as PSG are determined to offload him should he not sign the contract extension. PICTURE: Reuters
PARIS: The French champions have recently accepted a world record €300 million (R5,9 billion) bid from a Saudi Arabian outfit, Al Hilal Saudi Club.
A contractual saga between Paris Saint Germain (PSG) and Kylian Mbappe has another layer. According to reports, the football superstar’s contract with PSG stipulates that the club has to pay him a staggering €60 million (R1,2 billion) loyalty bonus if he is still their player by 01 August 2023.
The French champions have recently accepted a world record €300 million (R5,9 billion) bid from a Saudi Arabian outfit, Al Hilal Saudi Club. Therefore, the Saudi Professional League (SPL) club can begin to negotiate with the player directly as they have permission from his current club to lure him to the SPL.
With the Parisians having given the green light to Al Hilal, the ball is thus in the player’s court to decide his future. What is reported thus far is that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is keen on seeing out his current deal with PSG. The contract will expire in the summer of 2024. Thereafter, the player would be a free agent, exactly what PSG is seeking to avoid.
As things stand, according to his contract, he is due to receive the €60 million loyalty fee, which is another reason PSG are seeking to offload him to the highest bidder.
PSG insists that the player has to sign a new contract or he is for sale. Legally, it cannot sell the player to a club he does not want while he is still contracted with them. Put differently, the player has a right to stay until his contract expires.
The contractual drama between the two parties began in June 2023 when the player wrote a letter to the club indicating that he will not sign a new deal beyond his current contract, which would expire in 2024.
Currently, Mbappe is not training with the main PSG squad; he is training with the players who are deemed ‘undesirable,’ according to reports in France.