Kylian Mbappe’s Paris Saint-Germain U-Turn Is Another Strange Twist

It was just five days ago two men on cherry picker were peeling Kylian Mbappe’s face off the side of Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes stadium.

A short distance away there were reports no longer jerseys bearing the French talisman’s name were sold in its megastore.

The man himself had been left at home for the club’s pre-season tour of Japan and barred from training.

It was obvious, it seemed, to conclude Mbappe’s time in Paris was done.

This state of affairs had been sparked several months earlier by the news that Kylian Mbappe had informed the club he wouldn’t trigger a 12-month extension on his contract and therefore could leave for free next season.

But, on the eve of the new season, there was a dramatic late twist.

First, the club released a statement revealing the player was returning to the first-team fold.

“After very constructive and positive discussions between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappe before the PSG-Lorient match, the player has returned to training with the first-team group this (Sunday) morning,” it read.

It subsequently was reported that Mbappe was not only staying but there were indications he would remain at the club until 2025.

Whether that means the precocious French talent will stay is another matter.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claimed on X that PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi had held talks with Mbappe in which “different options [were] being discussed” including a “potential exit clause for 2024 included into new deal.”

In between Mbappe’s refusal to extend his deal and this recent re-coupling, Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal had a record $332 million bid accepted, although Mbappe refused to countenance any suggestion he might agree to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.

It is a move that his teammate Neymar is decidedly more willing to entertain.

Al-Hilal turned its attention to the Brazilian after being rejected by Mbappe and the two clubs are known to be in talks over a transfer.

Subsequently, it’s been reported that a fee has been accepted, although Barcelona could yet move for its 31-year-old former star.

His exit would remove the second part of last season’s holy trinity of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, part of a shift in direction from the French giants.

There are many reasons why PSG has decided to change its strategy of simply acquiring the best attacking talent and hoping the galaxy of stars delivers.

But one of the big ones must be the fact that it’s failed to deliver a Champions League trophy.

Having a front three of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe might make PSG the first pick in video games, but in reality, where egos need to mesh to form a team, the lineup struggled against the best sides.

The change of direction was not, however, supposed to involve losing Mbappe. As the one superstar who still had the best years ahead of him, the dream was to build around the Parisian, to make him the face of a younger, hungrier unit.

The signings of Goncalo Ramos and Ousmane Dembele appeared to be creating a frontline that fit more with what the young Frenchman wanted.

Ramos in particular offers a solution to Mbappe’s long-running complaint about having to play through the middle.

His preference for having a central striker to whom he can run off was reportedly the cause of a major tantrum early in the 2022/23 season when he abruptly asked to leave.

Mbappe’s demand the club strengthen defensively was appeased this summer with the acquisitions of Milan Skriniar and Lucas Hernandez.

But PSG has also been dealing with Mbappe long enough to realize that signing everyone he wants and giving him the position on the field he’s moaned about will not alone be enough to satisfy him.

The never-ending saga

Every time PSG reaches a deal with Mbappe the stopwatch starts for the next fallout and demands to leave.

The problem is life in this perpetual tug of war only undermines what the club is trying to achieve.

You need only look at the reported reaction of Mbappe’s teammates to his controversial interview with French newspaper L’Equipe in which he was quoted as saying PSG was a “divisive club” which tends to “attract gossip” and had potentially reached its “glass ceiling”.

Six players complained to the President about the statements and those half dozen players are surely not welcoming him back with open arms now it’s been decided he stays.

Disputes have placed additional strain on the array of coaches in Paris with the latest appointment of Luis Enrique no different, who rather diplomatically acknowledge that fact.

“This situation has existed before, a positive solution was found with the club. I hope an agreement is reached, which is something I would like,” Enrique told the media of the Mbappe dispute, “but the club is above everything, the coach, the players.”

It’s impossible to know what internal sacrifices have been made to placate Mbappe this time, but you would think something must have changed to prompt this truce.

Regardless of if Paris Saint-Germain has made a concession, the whole ugly spectacle has not provided evidence Enrique’s statement is true. Mbappe has been granted special treatment on so many occasions you have to wonder if it has ever been the case that the needs of the club were being placed above his.