“Send me the invoice!” - Luis Enrique jokes about donation to bench Kylian Mbappe for PSG vs Barcelona clash
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Luis Enrique has jokingly revealed what it would take him to drop Kylian Mbappe for the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Barcelona. The French champions have been drawn against the Spanish champions in the last eight of the competition, which will take place next month.
Former Blaugrana boss Enrique has repeatedly left Mbappe on the bench for games since the Frenchman announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season. The manager has justified his decision by revealing that he was preparing for life after the forward, who remains a difference-maker for the side.
Luis Enrique was speaking on his Twitch stream (via @BarcaUniversal on X) when he received questions from his subscribers asking what it would take for him to play the 25-year-old at centre-back. The Spanish manager jokingly responded that a huge donation would be sufficient for him to keep Mbappe out of the Barcelona game.
"How many subs to play Mbappe as the centre-back? Not subs, but donate €4m or €5m to this charity foundation and maybe I can rest Kylian. Send me the invoice!" Enrique said.
The charity foundation in question is the Xana Foundation, which the former Barcelona manager set up after his nine-year-old daughter Xana died of cancer. The charity is aimed at caring for and raising awareness for children battling cancer.
Kylian Mbappe has had to be content with a place on the bench in recent weeks, playing the full 90 minutes in only one of the last six league games. The former AS Monaco man has found the net 38 times in 37 appearances across all competitions for Les Parisiens this season.
Barcelona supremo believes Kylian Mbappe signing will be a problem for Real Madrid
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has rubbished claims that he might be jealous of his side's rivals Real Madrid edging closer to the signing of Kylian Mbappe. He spoke to Mundo Deportivo about the transfer, labelling it a danger to the unity of the Real Madrid dressing room.
"But I don't know if they will sign him or not," Laporta said. "Let's see. [If they do] they will have a problem there. They will have to transfer a player, right? Because two players aren't going to play in the same position.
"And speaking about the numbers involved [in the deal], it's going to distort the dressing room for sure. It's not a gift."
Brazilian forwards Vinicius Jr, Endrick, and Rodrygo are likely to be affected by Mbappe joining the club in the summer. One or more of them may look to leave the Spanish outfit if the Frenchman joins the club in the summer.