October 04, (THEWILL) – At the centre of a transfer and contract extension debate in the French Ligue 1, Kylian Mbappe, the gifted Paris Saint-Germain and France striker, has acknowledged that he sought to leave the Paris club in the summer.
Speaking at a recent interview, Mbappe admitted that he asked to depart so that Les Parisiens could get paid some good money in the transfer, especially as his contract is due to end in the summer of 2022.
“I asked to leave,” Mbappe revealed. “Because from the moment where I did not want to extend, I wanted for the club to receive a transfer fee so that they could bring in a quality replacement.
“This club has given me a lot, I have always been happy – the four years I have had here – and I still am. I said it early enough so that the club could react. I wanted everyone to come out of this stronger. [However], I said, ‘if you don’t want me to go I will stay’.”
Mbappe was heavily linked to Real Madrid during the recent summer transfer window and is widely expected to join the La Liga giants on a free transfer next summer. Even his international teammate Karim Benzema stated as much before the game against Espanyol.
An assured Benzema said: “[Mbappe] said it himself. He wants to see something else. Someday he will play for Real Madrid. I don’t know when. But he will come. It is only a matter of time.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
