Lucas Hernández admits that Kylian Mbappé convinced him to sign for PSG

Last July, PSG signed then-Bayern Munich centre-back, Lucas Hernández, for a fee of €50 million ($54 million). The defender, who came of the back of a difficult season in Germany that was plagued with injuries, decided to pack his bags for France and start again with a new project in Paris, who wanted him for his experience and elite level of talent.

In order to convince the player to leave the 6-time European champions, Kylian Mbappé was a key figure, the defender himself has confessed in an interview with French newspaper, Le Parisien ahead of PSG’s game against Pulisic-led AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

“To see that a club like PSG want you despite you being injured is motivating and really nice”, Hernández exclaimed. “I spoke a lot during the transfer process with Kylian [Mbappé], because I get on well with him. He would send me messages and call me to see how things were going at Bayern. One day he asked me if I’d be up for a move [to PSG] and he said he’d do everything possible to convince me”, admitted the Frenchman.

Luis Enrique ‘the best’ says Hernández

Both players have a great relationship with each other, and have known each other for a long time having spent time together in the French National Team, of which Mbappé is captain. For years, the interest PSG had in Lucas was concrete, but Bayern, who eventually had no other option than to sell him rather than see him leave on a free (remind you of anyone, Kylian?), had been firm in their negotiations.

The defender, now 27-years-old, also spoke about Luis Enrique, who he considers to be “obsessed with possession”. When asked what catches his eye in terms of Luis Enrique’s style of management, the player responded with his “desire to have the ball all the time. He’s obsessed with possession. During games, we try to have the ball as much as possible and also recover it immediately after losing it. In the day to day side of things, he’s the best.”

Luvas reveals reason for leaving Bayern for PSG

“You can see it in training”, Lucas continued, “we’re all happy to have him. We train like professionals but we have a good time and that’s what the manager wants. He wants us all to be concentrated, but enjoying ourselves. From time to time he jokes with us.”

Finally, Hernández opened up on the reasons behind why he was convinced to leave Bayern for the French capital: “The PSG project is very ambitious”, he said, “it’s a project that shouldn’t be looked at in the short term, but the long term. There is a desire to create a truly solid and united team, both on and off the pitch, with players who want to put the work in, who are there to learn and keep progressing. There are lots of young players. That’s why I chose Paris, because it’s a club at which you can see their ambition.”