According to reports, PSG withheld €80 million (£70 million) in compensation from Kylian Mbappe following his free transfer to Real Madrid.

On Monday, the French sensation was officially announced as the next “Galactico” of the European champions, bringing an end to a protracted transfer saga. He signs a five-year contract to join the team.

Before shockingly making a last-minute U-turn and signing a new contract with the French powerhouses that would keep him there until 2024 with the option to extend it to 2025, which he alone could exercise, Mbappe appeared to be headed to the Bernabeu in 2022.

But he made it plain last summer that he would not be signing a one-year agreement before revealing that he would be departing on a free agent at the end of the campaign.

There were numerous accounts of the ire his choice caused at the Paris club, particularly among its president, Nasser al-Khelaifi.As per L’Equipe, the PSG manager has decided not to ‘lose face in this case’ by withholding substantial compensation due to the untimely departure of their star player.

 

Kylian Mbappe was reportedly not paid his salary in April and May, while his February bonus was also withheld

 

According to the French publication L’Equipe, PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi is attempting to maintain his composure following the superstar’s pointless loss to Real Madrid.

According to the outlet, PSG declined to give the 25-year-old his bonus in February and his income for the months of April and May. As a result, the team has been able to recoup about £70 million, which was guaranteed to the France captain as a loyalty incentive at the time of his 2022 contract signing.

Mbappe, who was kicked out of PSG’s squad last summer after telling the team he wouldn’t be using his extension, was only permitted to rejoin if he consented to give up bonuses he was due, according to a November report from French publication RMC Sport.

According to the source, PSG had initially insisted that the striker sign a new contract in order to be allowed to return to Luis Enrique’s first squad, but the forward refused to do so.

After that, he was excluded from the team’s preseason tour to South Korea and Japan and had to train with a group of players known as the “undesirables”—men PSG was attempting to cut loose.

Following his absence from the season’s opening match against Lorient, Mbappe was then reintegrated.

These assertions have been supported by a recent report from L’Equipe, which also notes that the disagreement was only partially resolved.

When the team’s all-time leading scorer told the PSG president that he intended to leave at the end of the season, his playing time was drastically cut short.

According to reports, Mbappe received his 2023 loyalty bonus in February, but the club withheld more money that was owed to him.

According to the source, Mbappe is expected to have his final month of contract with the club, June, refused in addition to not being paid for his work in April and May.

If the parties are unable to reach a consensus, the case is likely to lead to legal battle.

 

The 25-year-old saw his game time dramatically reduce after informing the club of his decision to leave at the end of the season

Mbappe is currently with the France squad preparing for Euro 2024 and will formally link up with Real after his involvement in the tournament ends.

The forward addressed the news as he spoke to the media at press conference in Metz on Tuesday.

‘It’s a huge pleasure, a dream come true,’ Mbappe said of a ‘very emotional moment’.

‘I’m very happy, liberated, and relieved and very proud to go to this big club – the best in the world,’ he added.

Asked about a period when he was sent to train with the reserves after refusing to renew his contract, Mbappe said: ‘They made me understand that I wouldn’t play for PSG, [and] at the club they told me violently to my face.

‘Without [head coach] Luis Enrique and [Football Advisor] Luis Campos I wouldn’t have set foot on the pitch. They saved me. That’s the truth.’

‘There’s a lot of pressure, but it’s just football and there are more serious things in life. I’ve always had this education of not coming to cry,’ Mbappe said.

 

Mbappe is currently training with his France team-mates ahead of the European Championships later this month

 

The forward told reports he feels ‘very happy, liberated and relieved’ after finally agreeing to leave the French club for Madrid

‘I get paid handsomely to play football and do what I am passionate about, while some get up to go to a factory and do backbreaking work.

‘I keep saying that what I went through I wouldn’t wish on anyone, so I find it inappropriate to come and complain when I see what’s going on. There are much worse things in the world.’

‘It’s a big relief, I’m very happy, I think you can see it in my face. I played a lot less at the end of the season and everyone knows why. It’s like that – you have to adapt when you’re a high-level player.’