Sports

Staying with PSG the “only option” for now, Mbappe says

Sports Desk, Jun 15 (EFE).- French striker Kylian Mbappe said Thursday that remaining with Paris Saint-Germain for the 2023-2024 season is “the only option at this moment.”

“I have said that my objective to continue in the club,” the superstar told a press conference in Faro, Portugal, on the eve of France’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Gibraltar.

The 24-year-old captain of Les Bleus tried repeatedly to get reporters to ask questions about the upcoming match, but Mbappe’s future was the dominant topic of the presser, which aired live on French television.

Mbappe, whose current contract expires at the end of June 2024, confirmed that he sent PSG a letter earlier this week stating that he will not make any decisions about renewing the deal until the end of the season.

Anonymous sources at the club responded to the missive by telling the media that PSG will try to sell Mbappe this summer to avoid his leaving on a free transfer in a year’s time.

In May 2022, he signed a two-year extension with PSG after the Ligue 1 club rejected several offers from Real Madrid and following an appeal from French President Emmanuel Macron for the Paris native to remain with his hometown team.

News of Mbappe’s letter to PSG prompted Macron to say Wednesday that he will try to persuade the forward to stay in France, and a reporter cited those remarks at the team news conference in Faro.

“What influence does the president have? On my career today, in 2023?, none. He wants me to stay in Paris, my objective is to stay, we’re on the same wavelength,” Mbappe said.

The player told Agence France-Presse on Tuesday that he never had any discussions with PSG about extending his contract beyond 2024.

He said Thursday that his letter to PSG was not calculated to provoke a reaction or spur controversy.

“I didn’t think a letter could kill anyone. I didn’t think it was going to offend anyone. I only sent a letter. I don’t really care about the reactions,” Mbappe said. “There’s no need to explain, people can talk, they don’t have all the ins and outs, too bad for them. I know why I’m doing this, there’s no problem with that.”

And while clearly uncomfortable talking about his professional future, Mbappe said that he never considered skipping the press conference, insisting that no “outside noise” would lead him to flee from his responsibility as France’s captain.

EFE

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