Kylian Mbappé’s bitter wage dispute with PSG continues | OneFootball

Kylian Mbappé’s (25) break with Paris Saint-Germain has not been clean. Whilst the two parties have now gone their seperate ways, they remain mired in a dispute over unpaid wages.

Tracing it to its source, the current dispute between Mbappé and PSG goes all the way back to May 2022, when the former signed a contract extension with the latter, rejecting interest from Real Madrid. At a packed Parc des Princes, Mbappé appeared holding an “Mbappé 2025” jersey, alongside President Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The simple jersey could – of course – not communicate the nuance of the deal, which was a in fact a two-year deal running until 2024, plus an option for a further year.

In the summer of 2023, Mbappé informed PSG that he would not be triggering that option, precipitating Les Parisiens’ desperate efforts to sign the forward. Those efforts were in vain, with Mbappé notably rejecting a world-record approach from Saudi Arabia.

Mbappé ‘saved’ from PSG loft in summer 2023

During that time, Mbappé was ostracised from the PSG set-up, missing the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. He was handed an ultimatum – trigger the one-year extension or leave. Ultimately, Mbappé did neither but was nontheless integrated into the first-team set-up, “saved” by Luis Enrique and Luís Campos in the words of Mbappé himself.

A report from L’Équipe suggested that a verbal – crucially never a written – agreement between Al-Khelaifi and Mbappé, which would see the latter forego loyalty bonuses worth €80m, was the facilitator for this reintegration. “With the agreement that I made with the president this summer, regardless of my decision, (at the end of the 2023/24 campaign) we have managed to protect all parties, maintain serenity at the club for the future challenges – that’s the most important thing,” said Mbappé in January 2024.

This bonus, which was initially scheduled to be paid in the autumn of 2023, was then paid in February 2024, just before Mbappé informed the club that he would be leaving on a free transfer, to join Real Madrid. In the wake of that announcement, which only became public and official in May, just before the end of the Ligue 1 season, Mbappé saw his gametime significantly reduced.

PSG unaware of any legal action

Having taken the loyalty bonus, which reportedly, he had initially agreed to forego in a gentleman’s agreement with Al-Khelaifi, PSG then failed to pay Mbappé the last three months of his contract (since April), as per L’Équipe. The France international, as per Le Monde, has referred Les Parisiens to UEFA and the LFP over unpaid wages worth €55m.

However, PSG are currently unaware of any legal action taken against them and have received no such communication from the relevant parties, although talks regarding the situation are currently ongoing. Contacted by Get French Football News, PSG did not wish to make any comment on the ongoing discussions, which have been going on constructively for many months, and the club continues to respectfully engage on the subject.

It has been far from a clean break between PSG and Mbappé and whilst the two parties have since gone their seperate ways, they remain tied by this ongoing legal.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle