Real Madrid: I asked to leave PSG in the summer, says Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé has told RMC Sport that he asked Paris Saint-Germain to let him leave in the summer amid interest from Real Madrid.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé says he put in a transfer request in the summer amid overtures from Real Madrid, and has denied claims he waited until the last week of August to ask for a move.
PSG rejected series of Real Madrid approaches for Mbappé
Mbappé was the subject of three unsuccessful bids from Madrid just before the summer transfer window closed on 1 September, PSG rebuffing Los Blancos’ advances despite the Spanish giants finally offering 200 million euros for a player who is out of contract in June next year.
"I wanted the club to get a significant fee from my sale"
“From the moment I [decided I] didn’t want to renew, I wanted the club to get a significant fee from my sale so they could sign a quality replacement,” the striker told an interview with former PSG player Jérôme Rothen for the French media outlet RMC Sport.
“PSG are a club who have given me so much; I’ve always been happy in the four years I’ve been here, and I still am.
“I said [I wanted to leave] far enough in advance for the club to be able to have room for manoeuvre. I wanted everyone to benefit and to leave with their agreement, to do a good deal. I respected that.
“I told them, ‘If you don’t want me to go, I’ll stay.’”
🎙 Cet extrait de l'entretien avec @KMbappe que vous entendrez ce mardi 18h en intégralité dans @Rothensenflamme est très représentatif de ce qu'a été l'échange dans son ensemble : un moment sincère, d'un joueur qui parle à un ancien joueur, et se confie sans se cacher. pic.twitter.com/l91Ygur2da
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) October 4, 2021
Mbappé: I asked for a transfer in July
Mbappe, who joined PSG from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in 2017, added: “My position was clear. I said I wanted to leave and I said so at quite an early stage […]. I said at the end of July that I wanted to leave.”
Real Madrid out to snare Mbappé next summer
The 22-year-old remains Madrid’s priority target, with the 13-time European champions hopeful of signing the player on a free transfer when his PSG deal expires at the end of the season.