PSG boss reveals secret behind recalling Mbappe to first team amid Real Madrid saga

Paris Saint Germain chairman Nasser al-Khelaifi has revealed the reason the club decided to end the Kylian Mbappe summer saga by recalling the French forward to the first team despite growing concerns that he had agreed on a deal to leave the club. 

Mbappe had initially been frozen out of the first team after refusing to extend his current contract, which expires at the end of the current season, with the French champions trying to force him out of the club this summer to avoid losing out on a transfer fee for the talented striker. 

The club was insistent on selling the Frenchman, while Mbappe had made it clear that he did not want to leave PSG until at least the end of his contract, which expires in 2024. 

PSG eventually went back on their decision to banish Mbappe from the first team after the opening round of Ligue 1 fixtures in the 2023/24 season, and the club’s chairman, who spearheaded the decision to freeze the Frenchman out of the team, has revealed the reason for the u-turn. 

Speaking after PSG were drawn into the proverbial group of death in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage draw, al-Khelaifi revealed that dialogues had taken place that were positive and allowed Mbappe a way back into the first team. 

He told Mundo Deportivo, “We have had very good conversations with Kylian. He is a magnificent player, as a person and as a professional. We have had conversations with the rest of his family.”

Talks between Mbappe and PSG are set to continue, with the club holding out the belief that the France international will extend his contract if only to earn them a sizeable transfer fee in the 2024 summer transfer window.