PSG chairman says Kylian Mbappe 'has no reason' to leave club after Lionel Messi arrival

FILE - Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

FILE - Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Published Aug 11, 2021

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PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi said on Wednesday forward Kylian Mbappe has "no reason" to leave the club after Lionel Messi signed a two-year deal with the French side.

Mbappe is in the final year of his contract and has been linked with a move away from PSG with Real Madrid interested in the 2018 World Cup winner.

"Kylian is a Parisian, he's very competitive. He said he wanted a competitive team," Al-Khelaifi said.

"Now there's no-one more competitive than us. He has no reason to do anything else," other than stay, he added.

In May the 22-year-old told broadcaster Canal Plus he wanted to be in a place where he "could really win, where there is a solid project."

Mbappe is yet to sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes, unlike Neymar, whose recently-agreed contract runs until 2025.

The France forward is set to team up in the Paris attack with Neymar and Messi but the Argentina international is unlikely to make his debut in this weekend's league game with Strasbourg.

Messi has undertaken next to no pre-season after winning the Copa America on July 11.

AFP