Striker Kylian Mbappe asked a lawyer to intervene because PSG refused to pay him $87 million, when the contract between the two sides was about to expire.
Last year, Mbappe informed PSG that he would not renew his contract, leaving as a free agent in the summer of 2024. At that time, the French captain was isolated from the first team by PSG, with the risk of being sidelined for the entire season. In order to be allowed to return to play, Mbappe agreed to refuse to receive a “loyalty fee” of 87 million USD. It is not excluded that in this agreement, PSG will still pay Mbappe a loyalty fee in certain cases.
PSG players carry Kylian Mbappe after the French Cup final against Lyon at the Pierre-Mauroy stadium on May 25, 2024.
In February 2024, PSG still paid $87 million for Mbappe, according to L’Equipe . President Nasser Al Khelaifi and his associates explained that PSG did so in the hope that Real Madrid would pay the same amount back to the French club to sign the 26-year-old star. However, President Florentino Perez affirmed that Real would not pay a single penny to the player whose contract with PSG ends at the end of June 2024.
Khelaifi was unhappy with Perez’s decision, and this caused the two leaders to disagree even more. The PSG president has disliked his counterpart at Real for many years.
Therefore, in retaliation, PSG deliberately “forgot” to pay Mbappe’s April 2024 salary , and a bonus that expires at the end of February 2024. This bonus is equivalent to 87 million USD, exactly the amount the team paid as a “loyalty fee” to the French striker.
In recent days, lawyers from both sides have been in constant contact via email. Mbappe’s lawyer is demanding that the club pay him $87 million in salary and bonuses owed. The club’s lawyer wants to put into writing an agreement about Mbappe refusing to accept a loyalty bonus last summer.
Mbappe rose to fame at Monaco before moving to PSG in the summer of 2017 for a transfer fee of $195 million, the second highest in history. He has scored 256 goals in 308 games for PSG, winning 15 titles, but no Champions League. The 26-year-old striker is expected to become a Real player from July 1, 2024.
