Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe has ruled out a summer exit from the Parc des Princes, but the 24-year-old has affirmed that he has "never" discussed a contract extension with Les Parisiens.
On Monday evening, PSG received a bombshell of a letter from Mbappe claiming that he would not be activating the one-year extension option in his contract.
The France international snubbed interest from Real Madrid in 2022 to pen a new two-year deal in Paris, and those terms included an option to prolong his stay until the summer of 2025.
However, following the latest revelations, PSG are supposedly planning to sell Mbappe this summer if he stands firm on his decision not to sign a new contract.
Should the French champions fail to find a buyer for Mbappe, the former Monaco starlet would be free to leave for nothing in 2024 - a scenario which PSG are desperate to avoid.
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An exit this summer is not on the mind of Mbappe right now, though, with the attacker taking to social media to confirm that he intends to see out the remaining year of his contract.
Amid reports claiming that Mbappe would be open to a summer switch to Real Madrid, the 24-year-old tweeted: "Lies... At the same time, the bigger it (the story) is, the more it passes. I have already said that I will continue at PSG next season, where I am happy."
Only a few months after putting pen to paper on his new deal last year, Mbappe allegedly felt that he had made a mistake in renewing his contract and wanted to head for the exit door after all.
The striker was said to have been left angered at broken promises made during negotiations, but he continued to shine on the field and became PSG's highest scorer of all time in March, surpassing Edinson Cavani with a 201st goal for the club against Nantes.
Christophe Galtier's side suffered another dose of Champions League disappointment with a last-16 exit to Bayern Munich, but Mbappe hinted that he would stay with the club and aid their efforts to finally win Europe's top prize.
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PSG were said to have been left shocked by Mbappe's letter as a result, but in a statement to AFP, the 24-year-old insisted that he had never spoken with the club over an extension to his current terms, and they have been aware of his plans since July last year.
"I have never discussed any contract renewal with PSG. The board has been informed since July 15th, 2022 of my decision not to extend beyond 2024 — and the letter sent was only meant to confirm what I already told them," Mbappe said.
Despite Mbappe's admission that he wants to stay, PSG could still try to find a suitor for the World Cup winner this summer as the relationship between club and player threatens to deteriorate further.
Real are now in the market for a new centre-forward following Karim Benzema's move to Al-Hilal, while Manchester United could try to prise Mbappe away from Paris if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is successful in purchasing the club from the Glazer family.
Mbappe won a fifth Ligue 1 Golden Boot with 29 goals from 34 matches in the 2022-23 season, ending the campaign with a total of 41 strikes and 10 assists from 43 competitions in all tournaments.
Ben Knapton
