The absence of Kylian Mbappe has been symbolic of the friction with his employers at Paris Saint-Germain.
He was unceremoniously chucked into the “loft”, a group of players who are not seen as part of the team’s first-team plans, and then left behind from the club’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. He was put up for sale and for all intents and purposes, disregarded.
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In the club shop, his image was not front of centre. You could still buy his shirt, though even that of Lionel Messi remains despite his unfortunate denouement last season. But Mbappe, the France captain, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, the star of Paris, was not the centrepiece. At least before the home game against Lorient.
He had fallen out of sight and out of mind. That’s until he turned up on Saturday night.
Mbappe’s presence was not unexpected but the nature of it raised eyebrows. Earlier in the day, he posted on Instagram welcoming his France international team-mate Ousmane Dembele to the club: “Welcome home my brother, too happy to have you here. The adventure begins”. Later, he would sit next to Dembele in the stands. Before kick-off, he was filmed heading towards the dressing room by Canal+, which his team-mate Goncalo Ramos later confirmed in the mixed zone. “Yes, every player is there,” said the Portuguese forward.
To pique curiosity further, Mbappe was not alone in the Parc des Princes. As well as Dembele, he sat with his younger brother Ethan — who, unlike Kylian, has spent pre-season with the first team — as well as his father Wilfried Mbappe, and mother, Fayza Lamari. They are the power brokers in the Mbappe entourage.
With club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi but a stone’s throw away, it all suggested that relations had not collapsed completely. Positive noises began to filter through that a dialogue had restarted, and it all felt representative of some kind of detente — an intimation that hostilities were not totally entrenched.
Sources close to the situation speaking on condition of anonymity to protect relationships say that Mbappe, who began the rapprochement, and Al-Khelaifi met for an hour before the game, with Luis Enrique, the head coach, and Luis Campos, the football advisor, joining for a further hour after the game.
An agreement was reached and Mbappe returned to training on Sunday.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, PSG confirmed that Mbappe was to leave the loft: “Following very constructive and positive discussions between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe before the PSG — Lorient game on Saturday, the player has been reinstated into the first team training squad this morning.”
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Mbappe resumed work with his team-mates at 11.30am at Poissy, where those involved against Lorient went through a recovery session. Al-Khelaifi addressed the squad and told them: “Kylian is fully committed to PSG. Kylian is back.”
A return to training was always a possibility at some stage, particularly as French clubs cannot keep a “loft”, or a separate group of unwanted players, beyond the conclusion of the summer transfer window. But in the context of Saturday’s imagery, this was more than just a bit of administration. Training with Luis Enrique’s main group shows that he is back in the club’s plans.
So, what has changed to make this happen? Does this mean Mbappe will renew his PSG deal? Or is he still expected to leave next summer, possibly for Real Madrid?
Mbappe has made public that he would like to stay at PSG for the rest of this season, but has also said that he did not wish to renew his contract. In June, he declared he would not trigger a contract extension clause that only he could activate. PSG, meanwhile, would only countenance a sale, either now, if he did not extend his current deal, or in 12 months’ time.
One of those outcomes seems off the table — for the time being at least. Mbappe is no longer for sale according to the club, and he will not leave PSG this summer. He is now expected to play for the club this season. PSG have long been insistent that Mbappe will not leave the club for free but say that various options are on the table.
One option being explored by the player is that he stays, does not extend his contract but also does not receive a loyalty bonus that is owed to him after he remained at the club beyond July 31 of this year. Le Parisien reported that the contract was worth €630million, before tax, if extended.
PSG would ultimately like Mbappe to renew to prevent him from leaving for free next summer but a lot has happened in this saga that makes a renewal difficult, and underlines that there is a long way to go for events to move from returning to training to staying at PSG longer term.
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Stones have been thrown.
PSG have previously let it be known that their star player was known as “King Kylian” behind closed doors, and the club were so convinced that he had agreed a deal with Real Madrid, to join on a free transfer next summer, that they intimated they were looking into a possible claim of tapping up by the Spanish club.
Mbappe’s salary, which one club source with knowledge of the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships, was described as costing as much as €200million last year alone, and was claimed to be a cause of huge financial concern for the club if there was not to be a renewal or a sale, which would affect financial fair play and their ability to recruit.
And yet, despite their contrasting stances and the fallout from that, Mbappe will now return to the fold. Something, then, has to give.
For supporters in Paris, a rapprochement of some kind was always the ideal scenario, but a hope rather than an expectation.
“It’s a shame that he came into conflict with PSG like that, I think there could have been an agreement on both sides,” says Vladimir Kojic, a PSG supporter since the club’s inception in 1973. “Now, it is a real shame that such a great player like that would leave the club through the back door when he could leave with great honours, with an agreement.”
“I support the club, to extend for a year or if not to leave,” says younger supporter Alexandre Blampain, a season-ticket holder for a decade. “They have done the right things, they have put the club in order.
“But I still like Mbappe. He’s a player I really love. But he needs to extend. I’d like him to stay and PSG to have a huge season and win the Champions League. They are building a competitive team and recruited smart players.”
Supporters near the Virage Auteuil, where the club’s ultras reside at the Parc des Princes, were reticent to discuss the issue when approached. They spoke of the precariousness of the current situation, a delicate balance involving a beloved player but also the club’s determination to instil a new “club-above-all” mentality. This was reflected by the head of the ultras Romain Mabille, on Canal+ last week. “We really believe it’s possible to find a solution where everyone wins,” he said. “We are certainly pleased with the strengthening of the club institution. After that, we regret the situation seeing that Kylian is a player with whom we have good relations.”
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PSG had initially hoped that a bad reaction from supporters would have forced Mbappe to change his stance; in the end, it wasn’t a factor.
A route back was first hinted at earlier in the week. Mbappe met Al-Khelaifi at the club’s training ground on Tuesday. This was a very brief meeting, with the club president preoccupied with the visit of prospective investors Arctos, who are poised to secure a stake in the club. But that encounter, however brief, was the first sign of communication.
For Luis Enrique, there was no hiding his desire to bring arguably the world’s best player back into the fold and he made that known in his pre-match press conference. His words appeared planned, and put an emphasis on a positive resolution.
“I will start with Mbappe,” he said, his words translated. “It is something that has already happened in the past and there was a positive solution before I was here. I hope and wish that, just like in the past, the same thing will happen again and the club and player can reach an agreement. That’s what I would like. The club’s philosophy is very clear. The club is bigger than any players, any coaches and that is something I fully agree with.”
A 0-0 draw on opening night, where PSG stumbled in front of goal despite attempting 1,002 passes, will only have heightened his desire to push for Mbappe’s return.
For Mbappe, there must also be some appreciation for the clear team structure and strategy on display, a departure from the confusion of last season. As well as a recognition of the squad that is being built, beyond just the arrival of his friend Dembele. Six players made debuts against Lorient and they have added to the positions Mbappe wanted addressed last summer. It’s a system that will suit him well. The project in Paris may well have a new appeal.
There are other elements at play though at the Parc des Prince. Neymar could also be on the move now. Al Hilal, who made a large offer for Neymar earlier in the summer, have returned with a new proposal for the Brazilian. Neymar’s contract runs until 2027 and his exit, with a transfer fee, would lift a very substantial FFP weight from the club’s shoulders. Marco Verratti is not in Luis Enrique’s plans either.
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This would suggest, in turn, that Mbappe’s heavy salary may not weigh so heavily.
So what of a renewal? Is it actually possible after everything that has gone before? PSG speak of various options and one that has been suggested is a release-clause mechanism (valued in at least €200million), which was previously reported to have been offered to Mbappe, and rejected. This would have ensured a move next summer or at some stage, in the event of a contract extension. It’s not clear how such an agreement would work in practice, however, considering the prohibition of release clauses under Article 257 of the French Football Charter. Gentleman’s agreements don’t tend to be resolved so well in Paris.
Caution should apply. This all remains very nascent. The transfer window is open and more wheels will be turned, and there are more narratives to unpack. A new contract at this stage has more bridges to cross. Too much bad blood has passed for an overnight U-turn, with Le Parisien describing the parties as “betrayed lovers who have already made up their minds”.
But the events of this weekend mark a first step forward and a reopening of possibilities. An about-turn is always possible in this saga — just ask Florentino Perez last year who felt betrayed when Mbappe pivoted on a Real Madrid proposal to extend with PSG at the last hurdle.
That’s why the Madrid president, who is wary of PSG and Mbappe after what has come before, has remained so cautious in this summer market. His position has been to deny interest and wait in case, as August progressed, the situation was favourable.
So for all the posturing from PSG and Mbappe in recent weeks, fully restored relations can’t be ruled out. This is a Parisian soap opera, after all.
Other contributors: Adam Crafton
(Photo: Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
