“It never happens” - Nasser Al-Khelaifi explains why he is ‘shocked’ by Kylian Mbappe transfer rumors
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently admitted that he was shocked at Kylian Mbappe publicly confirming his decision not to extend his contract. He added that they will not let the forward leave for free and have set a deadline for him to renew his deal.
Mbappe revealed last month that he is not keen to sign a new deal at PSG. His current contract expires at the end of the season, and the option to extend the deal was not activated by the star French forward.
Speaking to Le Parisien, Nasser Al-Khelaifi expressed his shock at the PSG star talking about his decision to the media.
"We want him to stay but he can't leave for free," he said. "That was our verbal agreement and he expressed it publicly in an interview. So it's not debatable. I was really shocked to learn that he intended to leave for free. It's very disappointing because Kylian is a fantastic lad, a real gentleman, and to leave for free, by weakening the biggest French club, is not him. When I received this information, I was shocked and disappointed."
Al-Khelaifi added that Kylian Mbappe will be given two weeks to sign a new deal or else the player will be up for sale this summer.
"That's why he has to make up his mind next week, or in a fortnight at the most," Al-Khelaifi said. "If he doesn't want to sign a new contract, the door is open. That's how it is for him and for everyone else. No one is bigger than the club, no player, not even me. That's very clear."
Real Madrid have expressed their interest in signing Kylian Mbappe, but Marca claims that the Spanish side will not match the €200 million asking price.
Kylian Mbappe confirms he won't extend his PSG contract
Kylian Mbappe signed a new two-year contract last summer after flirting with Real Madrid. The Frenchman was given the option to extend the deal by another season but he opted against it earlier this summer.
Mbappe has now added that he has not asked for a transfer this summer and only admitted that he will not be extending the deal at Parc des Princes. He told Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport:
"I didn't ask either to be sold or to go to Real Madrid. I just confirmed that I don't want to activate the extra year foreseen in the contract. We have never talked about a renewal with PSG, but I'm happy to stay here next season."
PSG paid €180 million to sign Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco in 2017. He will be free to sign a pre-contract with any side in the world from January next year as he will be in the final six-months of his contract.