Kylian Mbappe posed for photos with young Paris Saint-Germain fans on Saturday after training with the Ligue 1 champions’ reserve team, despite not taking part in the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.
PSG announced that the 24-year-old forward would not travel to Japan or South Korea and the club’s decision reignited speculation about a move to Real Madrid.
Mbappe refused to pen a new contract, stating that he wants to stay at PSG for the final year of his contract, meaning he could leave without his new club having to pay a transfer fee.
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Mbappe would like to spend next season at PSG and then play for France at the Paris Olympics – an application that has to be approved by the French Football Federation and his club.
But PSG, too long perceived as spoiling star players like Neymar, Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, are finally able to assert themselves against a great player.
When club president Nasser al-Khelaifi recently unveiled Luis Enrique as the new manager, he recalled that Mbappe – PSG’s all-time top scorer with 212 goals – had no chance of going in vain.
PSG President Nasser al-Khelaifi said such a scenario was “impossible” and he would not let “the best player in the world today” go in vain.
Less than 24 hours after announcing the squad would be traveling to Asia without him, Mbappe was training with the club’s reserve team at their facility in Poissy, outside Paris.
After that, the black minivan he was traveling in stopped at the gates of the facility where a crowd of fans had gathered and he got out accompanied by a bodyguard.
A relaxed-looking Mbappe signed photos and jerseys for the excited young fans, one of whom was heard shouting “Stay with us Kylian” in an AFPTV video.
He then got back into the van and was driven away.
PSG have not yet commented on the exclusion of their star striker and France captain from the tour.
The French club are believed to suspect that Mbappé has already struck a deal with Real Madrid.
(This story was not edited by News18 staff and is published via a syndicated news outlet feed – AFP).
2023-07-22 19:45:29
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