PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi: ‘I cannot confirm Kylian Mbappe departure’

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi insists that he cannot confirm or deny whether Real Madrid-linked Kylian Mbappe will be leaving the club this summer.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has insisted that he cannot confirm or deny whether star striker Kylian Mbappe will be leaving the club this summer.
Earlier this season, Al-Khelaifi expressed confidence that the 25-year-old will remain with the Ligue 1 champions following another drawn-out summer transfer saga, amid interest from Real Madrid.

However, it was widely reported last month that Mbappe has informed PSG of his desire to end his seven-year stay at the club when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.

Speculation has since surfaced that Mbappe has agreed to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer and has allegedly already signed a five-year contract.

There has been no confirmation of such reports from the player, Real Madrid or PSG at this stage, with the president of the latter refusing to comment on such rumours in an interview with Canal+.

Speaking about Mbappe after the striker scored twice in PSG’s 2-1 second-leg win over Real Sociedad in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, Al-Khelaifi said: “I can’t confirm Kylian Mbappe’s departure, it’s always the club communicating our stuff.

“If the club has not said anything, I am not going to say anything. He is at the club, he works for the club, he has a contract with us. But we are also building something for the future.”

“He is one of the best in the world,” Al-Khelaifi added. “He scored two goals, but the whole team played really well this evening. Everyone played for one another, and that’s what we want for our club.

“We’re proud, we’re constructing something for the future. I saw a team that played together, and that’s what we want, and what the coach wants.”

Mbappe has allegedly held clear-the-air talks with head coach Luis Enrique after having his first-team minutes reduced across the club’s last three Ligue 1 matches.

After being benched and then coming on to score in a 2-0 win at Nantes, Mbappe was withdrawn midway through the second half of a 1-1 draw with Rennes before being taken off at half time in last Friday’s goalless stalemate with Monaco.

Mbappe played the full 90 minutes against Real Sociedad on Tuesday, though, and he has insisted that Enrique is not one of the “problems” he currently has at PSG.

“I have no problem with the coach. Everything is good with him. I have problems but the manager isn’t one of them,” Mbappe told Canal+. “We’ve got the best part of the season ahead of us, and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got to win it all, and that’s our objective.”

Mbappe is PSG’s all-time leading scorer with 246 goals in 294 appearances across all competitions, including 34 strikes in as many matches this season – more than any other player in Europe’s top-five leagues.

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