French champions Paris Saint-Germain on Friday left Kylian Mbappe out of their squad for a pre-season tour of Japan, casting further doubt on the star striker’s future. PSG gave no reason for the omission of France’s captain. The 29-player squad that flies east on Saturday will include Mbappe’s younger brother, 16-year-old Ethan Mbappe, as well as the club’s remaining superstar Neymar.
Mbappe has been taking part in the club’s pre-season preparations and played the last 30 minutes as PSG entertained Le Havre in a training-ground friendly on Friday, scoring a goal.
Mbappe declared in May that he would not extend his PSG contract, which expires next year, but indicated he wanted to remain at the club for a final season.
“I still have a year left on my contract and I am going to honour my contract,” he said.
That would allow him to become a free agent next summer and leave PSG for nothing.
PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi reacted by saying earlier this month that Mbappe “must sign a new contract”. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” Khelaifi said.
Khelaifi even gave Mbappe an ultimatum of a “maximum two weeks” to make his decision: sign a new contract or leave this summer. That date corresponds roughly with the departure of the team for Japan.
If Mbappe refuses to sign, the club must sell him in this transfer window, otherwise they will likely lose him for nothing when his deal ends after next season.
Source: eNCA
In other news – Thando Thabethe stars in Hollywood animated series
Thando Thabethe stars in a sci-fi animated series titled My Dad the bounty hunter. Season 2 of the Netflix series is set to debut on the 17th of August, 2023.
Taking to social media, the South African actress announced the series which she features, revealing that it’s her first animation. Learn more
