2023-08-14 07:30:00
THE MONDAY TACKLE. The capital club has formalized the return of the French striker to its workforce, after several weeks of an imbroglio of which only he has the secret.
By Adrian Mathieu
Published on 08/14/2023 at 07:30
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It is a standoff but also a battle of egos which seems to have found its outcome: on Sunday, PSG authorized Kylian Mbappé to return to his professional group after several weeks away.
At the new training center of the capital club in Poissy, after the inaugural 0-0 against Lorient, the 24-year-old striker showed a big smile after these two tumultuous months. Deprived of his major asset for the start of the championship, Luis Enrique can project himself a little more calmly on the rest of his season. The Spaniard is just starting his Parisian adventure and has already been able to get a good glimpse of the regular cacophony in this club.
From the XXL Saudi offer to the waiting Real: a summer with twists and turns
In any case, Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappé offered us a summer worthy of a great soap opera: letter, clause, offer, Real Madrid, loft, Saudi Arabia, information, disinformation, to ultimately see the two parties get closer of the extension desired at the base by the club.
In early July, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi announced the color at a press conference. “If he wants to stay, we want him to stay. But he has to sign a new contract. We don’t want to let the best player in the world leave for free. »
After very constructive and positive discussions between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappé before the PSG-Lorient match, this Saturday August 12, the player was reinstated in the first training team this morning. pic.twitter.com/Dl1KuiwW7k
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) August 13, 2023
The winner of the 2018 World Cup now accustoms us every off-season to feints and cast doubt on his future. Except that in recent weeks, the point of no return has almost been reached. Deprived of a tour in Asia and the first day of Ligue 1, Mbappé turned his back during this surreal period. Ostracized with a group of players like Draxler and Paredes, the captain of the Blues trained while waiting for the thinning.
A 100% Kylian Saint-Germain market
At the same time, his club made a turn that seemed to totally suit him. The Paris transfer window is responding to several of its past requests: a major overhaul of the workforce, the end of stars like Neymar and Messi, the arrival of a center forward who can evolve as a pivot with Gonçalo Ramos and recruitment international teammates like Ousmane Dembélé, his friend in life. The Kylian Saint-Germain, whom the interested party did not want to name a few months ago, seems to have taken off.
From now on, all these little people will sit around a table to act on a one-year contract extension, until 2025. But with the prospect of asking for desires from elsewhere next summer, the Mbappé bomb is only delayed, and not defused for Paris Saint-Germain. Rather than go to the end of his convictions at the beginning of the summer and risk the free departure of his star, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has therefore chosen the path of compromise. It remains to be seen whether the Parisian president will emerge weakened from this episode when he wanted to put a strong institution back in place.
READ ALSOLigue 1: a new season that promises to be full of surprisesFor Mbappé, it is difficult to guess with the supporters what trace will leave this episode where he showed his personal interests before those of the club. Eager to get closer to the greatest in his sport, the striker is behind the time spent by Messi and Ronaldo at the same age in the club. Still no Champions League, still no Ballon d’Or… It’s high time to pass the second for Bondy’s child and now assume a role of absolute number one at Paris Saint-Germain.
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