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“If Kylian Mbappé had a proper agent instead of his mother, he would already be at Real Madrid”
Yvan Le Mée, who represents Madrid defender Ferland Mendy, has questioned Fayza Lamari’s role in the PSG star’s career.
The most recent major twist in the ongoing Kylian Mbappé transfer saga took place a couple of weeks ago, when the Frenchman, a target for Real Madrid, sent a letter to Paris Saint-Germain saying he had no intention of extending his contract beyond 2024. This caused the Ligue 1 champions to give him an ultimatum: either pen a new deal or leave this summer.
Fayza Lamari looking to open own soccer agency
The biggest influence on Mbappé's decision-making is his mother, Fayza Lamari, who is also his agent. She does all of her son’s negotiating, including the lucrative new PSG contract that the attacker signed last year, and has also held talks with Madrid over a possible transfer.
In recent days, it has come to light that Lamari wants to set up her own agency, with Mbappé's club teammate and close friend Achraf Hakimi rumoured to be one player she would like to represent. The news has not, however, been well received by other agents.
Le Mée: “Mbappé should’ve moved to Madrid two years ago”
Speaking on After Foot, a program broadcast on French-Monégasque radio station RMC, Yvan Le Mée, who represents Real Madrid full-back Ferland Mendy, lashed out: “Mbappé's mother doesn’t do the work of an agent. She isn’t capable of it. The reality is that you have to do what you know how to do. I wanted to open a restaurant but I don’t know how to cook, so I didn’t”.
Le Mée even went as far as saying that Mbappé would already have signed for the LaLiga giants if it weren’t for his mother: “It is one thing to look after your son, and another thing entirely to offer your services to 20, 30 or 100 players. Agents are people who do deals. I am convinced that if Kylian Mbappé had had an agent when he was in talks with Real Madrid two years ago, he would already be there. When you don’t have the right habits or customs, or when you talk to a manager of a historic club as if he’s someone you’ve known for a long time, it might not work. I don’t know how to manage the situation to get to that point. He’s still in Paris and obviously doesn’t seem happy to be there.”
Calls for tighter agent regulations
Le Mée believes that agent regulations must be tightened to avoid such cases: “To be able to negotiate and do deals on behalf of your child and other players, you should have a license. We talk about it regularly in the agents’ association, obviously. Those who have the license can negotiate, be involved in transfers and the market in general. Those who don’t shouldn’t be able to negotiate. Others are just collaborators and do more administrative tasks. I don’t think she simply stamps Kylian’s documents,” the agent concluded.