Poissy (France) (EFE)
In his first public statement on the future of PSG’s French star, Al Khelaifi assured that the club’s position “is very clear.” “If Kylian wants to stay, we want him to continue, but to sign a new contract,” he stressed.
Al Khelaifi added that he is “sure” that Mbappé himself has said in the past: “I will never leave for free.” And he added: “If someone wants to change his mind, it’s not my fault.”
“But we cannot let the best player in the world go for free,” stressed the PSG president at the end of the press conference to present Luis Enrique Martínez as the club’s new coach.
First words of the PSG president about Mbappé after the leaks
This statement by Al Khelaifi is the first in public after several weeks of leaks about PSG considering transferring their star this summer if they do not want to extend their contract beyond its expiration date, on June 30, 2024.
The player has reiterated his objective of fulfilling the last season that remains of his contract at the Parisian club, but has rejected, even in writing, the possibility of extending his commitment.
The future of Mbappé was one of the issues that starred in the presentation of Luis Enrique, who carefully avoided giving guarantees about the continuity of his star attacker, but assured that they are going to “try to have the best possible squad”.
Asked repeatedly by the press about whether the club had given him guarantees of Mbappé’s continuity before signing, Luis Enrique emphasized that “one is always open to countless things arising.”
“I have all the players with a contract,” he said, before enigmatically adding that “who are” these players “depends on the day to day, and this football thing is changing.”
“We are going to try to have the best squad possible,” he stressed, before adding that there is information that in any case cannot be disclosed because it is confidential to the team. “What we talk about is between Luis Campos (the sports director) and me,” he said.