PSG’s history with player departures: Is Kylian Mbappé actually for sale?

Since QSI bought into PSG in 2011, there are no records of major sales. The largest sale made in the 12 years was for Gonçalo Guedes, who moved to Valencia for €40m. The last big star PSG sold, at a time when QSI had not yet invested in the club, was Ronaldinho, for whom Barcelona paid €40m plus €7m in variables in 2003.

If there is one thing that has characterised Qatar in its spell in Paris, is that it offers no way out to players who want to leave PSG before the end of their contracts. If they are important, the premise has been very clear: they will only leave for free. Thiago Silva once tried to leave for England, but the club decided against listening to the offers that came in for the Brazilian. In 2020, when Leonardo didn’t offer him a contract renewal, he signed for Chelsea, but had to leave as a free agent.

Verratti tries to leave PSG

The second to want to leave PSG was Marco Verratti, with whom Qatar had no qualms. In the summer of 2017, the Italian midfielder asked Nasser Al Khelaïfi to let him join Barcelona, who at the time, in a very different economic situation to their current one, were prepared to pay €110m for his services. The Emir and the directors didn’t hesitate: either he renewed or he would spend the season on the sidelines.

Verratti, who could do no more than obey Qatar’s orders, decided to renew, and not only that, but days later he appeared in a video on PSG’s official channels apologising to the fans for having tried to force his exit.

The next to suffer first-hand from PSG’s inability to let their stars leave was Neymar. Leonardo, speaking to Canal Plus France, assured that they would accept an offer for the No 10, but “under their conditions”, the same phrase he used in 2021 with Kylian Mbappé and which ended with both of them unable to leave.

Cavani, PSG’s all-time top scorer before Mbappé's explosive emergence, also faced obstacles. With just six months to go before the end of his contract in January 2020, Leonardo repeated the same words as with Neymar. “We are negotiating with Atlético Madrid, but we will sell him if they accept our conditions.” The result was obvious. Cavani remained in Paris and the club, rather Leonardo, prevented him from playing in the Champions League finals after the pandemic.

Is Mbappé actually for sale?

The case of Kylian Mbappé is a little more enlightening than the previous ones, but it should not be forgotten that Qatar have always tried to be above every other club in negotiations. PSG leaked that the French international is for sale and that they will sell him as soon as possible if he does not renew. According to the player, through a statement in AFP, he let them know his decision not to extend his stay on 15 July 2022, two months after his last renewal.

It remains to be seen if Mbappé is really for sale, because we already know that Qatar will only contemplate letting him leave if there is an offer that meets their tough demands. The never-ending saga continues.