Revealed: PSG’s Failed January Bid to Ward Off Real Madrid’s Interest in Superstar Player

Paris Saint-Germain made one last ditch effort to extend the contract of Kylian Mbappé earlier this year. Reports suggest that the Frenchman will leave once his contract expires in June and many expect him to join Real Madrid.

Nonetheless, the capital club did its best to keep the 25-year-old from leaving. L’Equipe (h/t Le10Sport) reports that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi was ready to play hardball to see if this would help them in negotiations. 

According to the French media outlet, Al-Khelaïfi had been considering playing Mbappé less since January, even before he announced his decision internally to his executives. 

The PSG president’s goal was simple: he wanted to once again put pressure on his forward to convince him to extend his contract. At that time, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi was not officially aware of Kylian Mbappé’s decision.

Nonetheless, given the looming expiration of his contract and his contacts with Real Madrid, the Qatari executive knew the situation was delicate. However, this strategy did not work, as the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner will likely leave PSG.