Kylian Mbappe’s contract u-turn forced PSG to ‘break’ agreement to sign 25-year-old: Reports
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Kylian Mbappe‘s decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forced the Ligue 1 champions to break an agreement with Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele, as per El Nacional.
Mbappe, 23, decided to snub a potential move to Real Madrid and sign a new three-year extension at the Parc des Princes.
Dembele, 25, would have been available on a free transfer as his contract with Barcelona would have expired on June 30. The former Borussia Dortmund winger was viewed as a potential replacement for Mbappe, with many expecting the French star to join Madrid.
However, according to El Nacional, Mbappe’s renewal with PSG caused Nasser Al-Khelaïfi to break their pre-contract with Dembele.
The aforementioned report claimed there had been an agreement between Dembele’s agent Moussa Sissoko and Al-Khelaifi but Mbappe’s u-turn changed the game.
Dembele now looks set to stay at Barcelona despite having the Ligue 1 champions and Premier League side Chelsea show interest in him.
The 25-year-old found form under Xavi Hernandez at the Nou Camp last season following the Spaniard’s appointment in November. While he missed the majority of the first half of the season due to injuries, he hit the ground running in the second half.
He scored two goals and provided 13 assists in 32 appearances across competitions for Barca and looks set to continue as part of the Blaugrana’s attack.
Kylian Mbappe’s decision to stay at PSG could see Lionel Messi return to Barcelona
It’s fair to say that Lionel Messi hasn’t encountered the best of starts to life at the Parc des Princes since leaving Barcelona for the French capital last summer.
A season of adaptation has led to many questioning Messi’s situation at the Ligue 1 giants and recent reports suggest he could be looking for a way out. It is down to Mbappe as the French star is reportedly making life hard for the Argentine at PSG.
Mbappe’s influence at the Parc des Princes is having a knock-on effect on the Argentine and he is said to have contacted Xavi Hernandez about a potential Barcelona return.
Mbappe says reaching Messi and Ronaldo levels is just unrealistic 🐐 https://t.co/4XQMHA4l48
The 35-year-old has one year left to run on his current deal with the Parisians having signed a two-year contract last summer.
The legendary forward managed 11 goals and 15 assists in 34 appearances in all competitions for PSG last season.
He has previously commented on the difficulties in his first season in the French capital, telling TyC Sports:
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“In Barcelona (I) had teammates who had been playing alongside them for many years and they knew me by heart. This was all new to me. On top of that, I started the league late because I arrived late at the club, then I had a knock on my knee that kept me on my feet for a while. And between one thing and another it wouldn’t finish starting.”
Wherever Messi ends up next season, he will hope to improve on his past season and put up better numbers.
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