PSG: “There was no discussion” on the future of Mbappé, swears President Macron

Will go, won't go? After keeping the football world in suspense for many months, the Mbappé soap opera delivered its verdict in mid-February, not officially but it's just like: the captain of the France team has decided to leave PSG. “KM” has already announced its decision to Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and his teammates. We are just waiting for the official press release.

Except that seeing said Mbappé invited to a dinner at the Élysée in the presence of “NAK”, president of PSG, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and of course Emmanuel Macron, some imagined a final attempt to hold him back. This did not happen, the Parisian decision-makers knowing well that the decision of the person concerned is irrevocable. It was clear from the start. Multiple sources had dispelled the suspense. However, the subject returned this Thursday, on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Olympic village, in Saint-Denis. Asked whether this dinner had been imagined as an opportunity to retain the native of Paris, the President of the Republic replied: “No, not at all. There have been no discussions on this and I leave it to the club’s management to do that.” Which leaders did everything to extend Mbappé, recruited in 2017 and top scorer in the history of Paris Saint-Germain (244 goals), in vain. “We all know where he’s going to go,” Ibrahima Konaté smiled recently, the Blues defender thinking of Real.

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And Mr. Macron continued: “It was normal that he was there. He is a great champion who hosted the final of the French team during the World Cup in Qatar (Mbappé scored a hat-trick and converted his shot on goal in the final against Argentina , Editor’s note). And the club, given its shareholding… It’s been seven seasons at PSG all the same. All French people admire this great player but there was no discussion about it.”

The French will still have the opportunity to see Mbappé on Ligue 1 pitches for a few months, between now and the end of the season, with Paris-SG. Then, they will still be able, and for many years, to follow the performances of the French international (75 caps, 46 goals) in the jersey of the France team, starting this summer at the Euro but perhaps also at the Paris Olympics. For the rest, we will certainly have to turn the antennas towards Spain and Madrid, where Kylian Mbappé has dreamed of playing under the immaculate tunic of Real since his childhood. Everyone has in mind this photo in which we see Mbappé in his room, at 14, with posters of Cristiano Ronaldo on the walls. In a few weeks, he will follow in the footsteps of his idol. And neither the French president nor the Emir of Qatar can do anything about it.

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