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Tom OlverPublished Jan 10, 2024, 5:06pm|Updated Jan 10, 2024, 7:04pm
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has poured cold water on speculation linking Kylian Mbappe with Real Madrid and insists the superstar forward remains at the ‘centre of the project’ in the French capital.
Mbappe’s contract at the Parc des Princes is due to expire at the end of the season and Spanish giants Real Madrid have been ramping up their efforts to sign the 25-year-old as they look to add to their wealth of attacking talent.
Reports emanating from France at the weekend indicated the World Cup winner – widely regarded as one of the finest players on the planet – had at last finalised terms to complete a switch to the Bernabeu next summer.
But Mbappe’s camp have distanced themselves from the latest rumours of an agreement, with the former Monaco man netting 25 goals in 24 games for PSG this season and targeting major silverware including an elusive Champions League title.
Speaking to French publication RMC, PSG president Al-Khelaifi admitted talk over Mbappe’s future was ‘normal’ given the profile of the player amid widespread interest from Europe’s elite.
‘Look, I’m not hiding anything,’ Al Khelaifi said.
‘For sure I want Mbappe to stay. For me he is the best in the world and for me the best club for Kylian is Paris.
‘He is the centre of the project today. It’s normal to ask about him.
‘For me he is the best in the world, I have a very good relationship with him. Not only as a player, as a person.
‘He has an agreement with me, as he has said. There is no negotiation, but I think he is still young, he wants to win many trophies and hopefully with us.’
Al-Khelaifi believes PSG may have put too much pressure on themselves in their pursuit of European glory in recent seasons and remains relaxed over the club’s current standing in world football.
‘We have done many things, some have worked and some have not,’ Al Khelaifi said.
‘We have made mistakes, it’s normal. Now we have made a young team, with French people, for the long term, we are not in a hurry.
‘We have made a good technical team and the system has also changed and it is a pleasure to see this team.’
He added: ‘We play football, they play as a team, they defend together, the atmosphere is magnificent. It was time to change, to build something new. In Paris we have the best player in the world, and today we are one of the best clubs in the world.
‘We are fourth in the UEFA rankings. We arrived in 2011 and I don’t know where we were in the ranking.
‘We have to continue and we work to win, also the Champions League, but maybe it was a mistake to put so much pressure on the Champions League. Football is not that simple.’
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