Kylian Mbappe has been warned he has two weeks to decide his future as he will not be allowed to leave Paris Saint-Germain for nothing next summer.
Mbappe has made it plain that he will not take up the option of a contract extension, meaning he is set to be a free agent next summer.
But PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi has claimed his star man leaving for nothing is ‘impossible’ and Mbappe is now on the clock if he is staying or going.
‘We want him to stay but he can’t leave for free,’ Al-Khelaifi said at the unveiling of new manager Luis Enrique.
‘There was a verbal agreement and he had discussed it in an interview. And I was really shocked to learn that he had decided to leave for free. It’s very disappointing because Mbappe is a fantastic boy, a real gentleman and to leave for free, weakening the biggest club in France, it’s not him. When I heard the news, I was shocked and disappointed.’
Mbappe, who was recently partying with Tom Brady in the Hamptons, is angling for a long-awaited move to Real Madrid, but both he and the Spanish side would naturally prefer him to walk out of PSG on a free.
Should he hold his nerve in not signing a contract extension he risks PSG now cashing in to the highest bidder this summer, putting the player and Real on the clock.
‘It’s for him to decide for himself next week, or at most in the next two weeks,’ Al-Khelaifi continued.
‘And if he does not want to sign a new contract, the door is open.
‘It’s like that for him and everyone else. Nobody is bigger than the club, no player, not even me. It’s very clear.
‘By the standards of football, you never see your best player leave for free. It just doesn’t happen.
‘We don’t want to let the best player in the world go for free, it’s impossible. PSG is a French club, it’s his city, and he’s already said he doesn’t want to leave for free.
‘If today someone made him change his mind, it’s not my fault.’
The topic put new boss Enrique in the unenviable position of being grilled on how he can convince or placate the wantaway star – but he insisted no final decision has been made.
Enrique said: ‘When I signed, we always remain open. A lot of things can happen.
‘I will keep it private as it’s professional secrecy. I cannot give confidences but we will try to make the best possible squad for PSG.’
