La Liga president Javier Tebas has labelled Kylian Mbappe's contract renewal at Paris Saint-Germain as an “insult to football”.
On Saturday, PSG confirmed that Mbappe had extended his deal with the Ligue 1 side despite Real’s attempts to sign the player since last summer.
Earlier in the day, however, Tebas expressed his displeasure when it was reported that Mbappe would be extending his stay at PSG. The La Liga president posted on Twitter that PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is “as dangerous as the Super League”.
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Tebas posted: “What PSG is going to do by re-signing Mbappe with large amounts of money (which who know from where and how they (PSG) pay him) after losing 700 million euros in the last seasons and having 600 million euros in salary expenses, is an INSULT to football. Al-Khelaifi is as dangeorus as the Super League."
PSG opted out of joining the 12 Super League founders, allowing its president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, to gain one of the most powerful roles in the game as head of the European Club Association. On the other hand, Real president Florentino Perez was one of the architects of the European Super League breakaway from the UEFA Champions League that imploded within 48 hours in April 2021.
The tension between PSG and Real Madrid was also evident when PSG was knocked out of the Champions League in the round-of-16 by Real in March — despite leading 2-0 overall with two Mbappe goals — and Al-Khelaifi remains under UEFA investigation for allegedly confronting match officials after the loss.
Mbappe’s contract with PSG had been due to expire in June, and it was reported on Monday that he had agreed personal terms with Real Madrid ahead of a potential free transfer.
However, PSG were still trying to convince Mbappe to change his mind and he had not yet signed any paperwork with Real.
PSG sources insisted to The Athletic that Real’s confidence that he would move to the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer was misplaced.
PSG’s new offer had a significant focus on Mbappe being the centrepiece of the club’s brand going forward as a Paris-born player. He has now chosen to sign and stay at the Parc des Princes.
Mbappe had been at the centre of a transfer saga last summer, when Real made two bids for the forward. Both of those were rejected, despite Mbappe later confirming he had asked to leave PSG.
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The France international is regarded as one of the finest forwards in Europe. He has scored 168 goals in 216 games for PSG, having joined them in 2017 from Monaco, the club with which he made his senior debut.
Mbappe won the World Cup with France in 2018 and the Nations League in 2021. He has also won Ligue 1, the French top flight, five times since emerging at Monaco.
On an individual front, he has been named the Ligue 1 player of the year three times, been selected in the Champions League squad of the season three times and was named as the best young player at the 2018 World Cup.
(Photo: Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images)
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