Paris Saint-Germain can’t get past a draw in the Champions League and is speculating about the future of Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé decided to stay at the club despite interest from Real Madrid, and the France international, Lionel Messi and Neymar began to gel on the pitch.
But in autumn things no longer look quite so rosy.
On Tuesday, the French were held to a 1-1 draw against Benfica in the Champions League group stage and there were rumors that Mbappé wanted to leave the club as quickly as possible.
The speculation didn’t seem to affect the 22-year-old’s form, however, as he scored a penalty for his team and continued to pose a threat down the left flank.
Despite dominating possession, PSG fell behind in the second half with another penalty, this time perfectly converted by Benfica’s Joao Mario.
PSG pushed for the winning goal that would have secured their place in the knockout stages of the tournament, but were unable to make the breakthrough – Mbappé thought he had won the game, but his acrobatic volley was clearly offside. UEFA’s Technical Observer Panel named Mbappé man of the match: “He was Paris’ only dangerous player, thanks to his speed and his movements.
Although the result and performance was far from a disaster, it was another setback in a difficult week for the club, with leading journalists claiming Mbappé was unhappy at PSG.
Some reports claimed the attacker was targeting a move in January, having signed his new contract just 144 days ago.
“He feels betrayed by the club because all the things the club promised him when he signed the new contract until 2025 have not happened,” French football expert Julien Laurens told the BBC.
“The promises that they would sign a new striker so he could play in his best position away from striker, that Neymar would not be there and would be sold, that they would sign a center back and he would be at the center of the project. All these things did not happen.
“We knew there was tension and now he has decided he doesn’t want to be there.
“He feels it was a mistake to extend his contract and that he should have left in the summer and now he is looking at where he could go in January.
However, the club has denied these speculations and said the World Cup winner is happy where he is.
“I’m with Kylian Mbappé every day. He never talked about leaving in January. He never talked to the president about it either,” Luis Campos, the club’s sporting director, said before Tuesday’s game.
“This is not a statement from the player, but a rumor.”
Mbappé’s lawyer did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
With Messi currently out due to injury, the club will be reliant on Mbappé’s attacking prowess if they want to continue their unbeaten form in the league.
The Parisians have a difficult game against Marseille on Sunday and the club hopes that the rumors surrounding Mbappé’s departure have subsided.
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Those: edition.cnn.com
2023-12-24 16:55:04
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