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PARIS. — Kylian Mbappe has told Paris St Germain he will not take up the option of a one-year extension in his contract when it expires next June, L’Equipe reported, with the France forward adding that the club had been notified of his decision last year.
Mbappe, a World Cup winner in 2018, confirmed his decision in a letter to the club and could even be sold this summer as PSG will seek to avoid losing him for free, according to the local reports. The player would be free to negotiate and sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club from January should he decide to see out the remaining year of his deal at PSG.
In a statement sent to news agency AFP yesterday, Mbappe said PSG “were informed on July 15, 2022” of his decision to not extend his contract, adding that “the only aim of the letter was to confirm what had already been spoken about previously”.
The French club, owned by Qatar Sports Investments, have already lost Lionel Messi on a free transfer after the Argentina forward left at the end of his two-year contract to join Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami.
PSG have not responded to a request for comment. Mbappe was widely tipped to join Real Madrid last season but rejected a move to Spain to sign a contract extension with PSG. The 24-year-old has long been admired by Real, who had a bid reported to be as high as 200 million euros ($215.50 million) turned down in 2021.
Real, who have already agreed a deal to sign England midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, could step up their interest in Mbappe following striker Karim Benzema’s move to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. — Reuters
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