Jardim: "Mbappé? It's not always possible to keep your players"
"You know how our project works," said the Monaco coach. "Our objective is to work with the players that are still here when the transfer window closes."
Constant speculation surrounding the future of Kylian Mbappé has led several French media outlets to report that the highly rated France international has decided to leave AS Monaco this summer. L’Èquipe are among the publications to have reported that links to Real Madrid, Barcelona and the Premier League have led Mbappé to question his commitment to the Ligue 1 champions, who have already been shorn of several of their title-winning squad this summer.
Jardim: "It’s important to keep all of our players"
On Thursday, Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim admitted that the club’s policy of identifying and developing talented young players and then selling them on for a hefty profit means that if a club comes calling with an astronomical fee, it will be difficult to persuade Mbappé to stay: “It’s important to keep all of the players who were important last season at the club. But down the years it has been shown that it is not always possible to keep hold of your players and you know how our project works. Therefore, our objective is to work with the players that are still here when the transfer window closes.”
After a spectacular breakthrough season in 2016-17, which reaped 26 goals and 14 assists in 44 games across all competitions, Mbappé has been quiet during pre-season and was hauled off by Jardim in the Trophée des Champions defeat against PSG. However, the Monaco boss is not concerned by his lack of sharpness so far in pre-season. “He hasn’t scored in pre-season but he’s working hard to turn things around. It’s not just him but all the young players who were here last season and who had such a great season. Fabinho, Lemar, Kylian… Fabinho and Lemar are slightly older and maybe a bit more mature but Kylian has been working well. They know the most important thing is what happens on the pitch.”
Real Madrid to bid for Mbappé?
Real Madrid are the frontrunners to snap up Mbappé should Monaco decide to do business but they will face competition from Manchester City and Barcelona, who will have 222 million euros to play with once the Neymar deal to PSG is completed.
