WORLD CUP 2022
PSG's Kylian Mbappé leaves France squad over injury concern
Didier Deschamps will be without his young star for the upcoming games against the Ukraine and Finland in the 2022 World Cup European qualifiers.
After feeling a pain in his calf muscle late in the game against Bosnia on Wednesday - in what turned out to be a disappointing affair for the hosts - Kylian Mbappé is said to be leaving the France national team camp.
Mbappé out of French squad
According to L’Équipe, although the MRI scan did not reveal any significant injury, the French team’s management were not willing to take any risks with such a prized possession.
After discussions were held with his club, Paris Saint-Germain, the young star is reported to now return to the capital and will miss the upcoming two games for Les Blues. Even without him, Didier Deschamps will be hoping to pick up all six points against the Ukraine and Finland.
Mbappé into final year with PSG
After the transfer window closed on Tuesday night, it was confirmed that Mbappé would spend the rest of this season at PSG. The French club rejected all of the offers presented by Real Madrid in August in their attempt to bring him to Spain and, at the same time Mbappé was turning down yet another lure to renew his contract in Paris - one which would have made him the highest earner in the squad.
Le Parisien reported that PSG's most recent offer to renew Mbappé's contract included a pay rise which would see the player earn 45 million euros net per season. After tax, Mbappé's salary would come to 135 million euros a year when factoring in income tax, social security payments plus a huge bonus for renewing. But once again, the 22-year-old striker didn't accept. Had he done so, he would have become the best paid member of the first team squad, ahead of Messi and Neymar.
So Mbappé is now in the final year of his contract and will be able to start negotiating with other clubs from 1 January. Al Khelaïfi has four months to make the player change his mind. Mbappé had intended to leave PSG in August and for the moment, is resisting every offer of a new deal - even one which would make him extremely wealthy.