"He told me he was going to play here one day" - Former Real Madrid and PSG star Jese Rodriguez says 'pressure from outside football' could have forced Kylian Mbappe to stay in Paris
Former Real Madrid and PSG forward Jese Rodriguez believes that 'pressure from outside football' could have forced Kylian Mbappe to snub the La Liga side and remain in Paris.
The 23-year-old was heavily linked with the Spanish giants and some reports claimed he had even reached an agreement with them.
However, the Parisians upped the ante and managed to convince him to stay at the Parc des Princes. Mbappe ended up signing a new three-year contract that made him the highest-paid footballer in the world, as per Sky.
Jese Rodriguez has offered his take on Kylian Mbappe's decision to stay at PSG and reject Real Madrid 🇫🇷✅🇪🇸❌ https://t.co/qgOfrZMRMm
Rodriguez, who played alongside the World Cup winner at PSG, felt that there was immense pressure on him from external entities. Speaking to Cadena Cope about the transfer, he said (via Football Espana):
“It surprises me that Mbappe didn’t go to Real Madrid because he told me he was going to play here one day. If he didn’t go to Real Madrid, it’s because of pressure from outside of football, it’s a political matter.”
He wasn't wrong as it was later revealed that French president Emmanuel Macron spoke to Mbappe to convince him to stay in Paris at the behest of the Emir of Qatar, where the owners of PSG come from.
This shows just how much pressure was riding on Mbappe, who eventually caved in and pledged his allegiance to the Ligue 1 champions, snubbing Real Madrid.
The France international came to Paris from AS Monaco in 2017 for a mammoth €180 million transfer and has since developed into one of the world's best forwards.
'I wanted to stay in France,' says Kylian Mbappe after signing a contract extension with Paris St Germain that will keep the 23-year-old tied with the French club until 2025 reut.rs/38bnG1v https://t.co/7RBqfyIybM
In 216 games, he's struck 170 goals and made another 88 assists, lifting 11 titles.
PSG looking at more key transfer decisions
PSG are going through a busy summer right now. With Mbappe re-signed and Angel Di Maria leaving, there are some other transfer decisions to make too, particularly regarding Neymar.
The Brazilian has been linked with an exit as reports suggest the Parisians are ready to offload him if a suitable offer comes by, although his staggering wages could be a hindrance.
A Spanish journalist claimed that Lionel Messi could also be sold alongside him but there's nothing concrete to support those claims yet.