Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that he will stay at Paris Saint-Germain this summer despite interest from Real Madrid.
Mbappe has discussed his future / Xavier Laine/GettyImages
The French superstar has been consistently linked with a blockbuster move to Los Blancos over the last 12 months, with reports emanating from Spain recently suggesting that the club were keen to make another approach for Mbappe this summer.
Despite said interest, during Sunday evening’s UNFP awards – in which Mbappe won Ligue 1 Player of the Year for a fourth time – the striker confirmed that he intends to stay at Paris Saint-Germain for the 2023/24 season.
“I am here to talk about the trophy,” he responded to a question about his future. “Next season I’ll be playing at PSG. I have one year left on my contract and I’m going to honour my contract.”
Mbappe’s current contract was signed last season at a time when it seemed that the forward was all-set to join Real Madrid. Since signing the contract, PSG have continued to dominate Ligue 1 but also continued to struggle in the UEFA Champions League.
Despite tying down Mbappe and signing Lionel Messi, Les Parisiens have failed to go beyond the round of 16 in the competition since 2021.
Likely with a new manager at the helm, as Christophe Galtier looks set to leave the club this summer, and without Messi, who looks destined to return to Barcelona, Mbappe and PSG will be hoping to finally win the Champions League for the first time next season.
Galtier, however, has stressed that he has earned the chance to stay at PSG and try challenge in Europe, telling reporters: “I deserve a second season at Paris Saint-Germain!
“I repeat it once again because no one wants to hear it but it was a very special season. We had to stay the course even when we thought everyone had their heads under water. I pay tribute to my players who have not given up. I am very happy and I don’t want us to trivialise [this title win]!”
