PSG warn Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappé of mass layoffs if he leaves for free
According to L’Équipe, PSG have informed the France captain club employees could be made redundant if he leaves on a free transfer.
Paris Saint-Germain are trying everything in their power to sell Kylian Mbappé in the current transfer window.
However, despite the best efforts of the Ligue 1 champions, the France captain’s stance remains unchanged: he has no intention of going anywhere this summer and will see out the remaining year of his contract with the club before leaving on a free transfer on 30 June 2024.
The Parisians are desperate to avoid losing Mbappé for nothing, having themselves spent a fortune to sign him from Monaco. PSG paid a reported €180 million ($197m) to sign him in the summer of 2018 and have spent far more than that to satisfy Mbappé's exorbitant wage demands over the subsequent five years.
PSG’s attempts to change star’s mind
The club have tried a number of ways to avoid losing Mbappé for free, first offering him a contract extension until 2025 with a release clause that would allow him to leave for a fixed amount for next summer.
After he rejected the offer, PSG then decided to freeze him out of the first-team picture, excluding him from the pre-season trip to Japan and forcing him to train with the reserves. As things stand, the club maintains that he is not expected to play this season.
What does PSG’s letter to Mbappé say?
Now, L’Équipe have revealed PSG’s latest strategy to influence their star player. The French club have reportedly sent the 24-year-old a letter in which they warn him of the financial consequences they could face if he does leave for free, presumably in an effort to make him feel guilty.
“We would be faced with the need to transfer players, review the pathway for young academy players to the first team and very probably have to start making mass layoffs. Every area of the club would be at risk,” the letter reads.
The letter also includes a reminder that his €160 million ($175m) pre-tax salary is “financially extraordinary, which no one has ever been paid before in soccer”.
A number of extras, including Mbappé's well-documented loyalty bonus for fulfilling his contract, push the 24-year-old’s financial package even higher.
Should the attacker be prepared to help his club or simply look out for himself? As it stands there is a significant difference in opinion between the two parties.