Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has reportedly withheld €80 million (£70 million) from Kylian Mbappe following his free transfer to Real Madrid.
Mbappe, 25, was confirmed as the newest ‘Galactico’ on Monday, ending a lengthy transfer saga by signing a five-year deal with Real Madrid.
According to L’Equipe, PSG decided to withhold the payments to avoid ‘losing face’ after losing their star player for nothing. Reports indicate that Mbappe was not paid his salary in April and May, nor his bonus in February, allowing PSG to recover the loyalty bonus promised to him when he signed his 2022 extension.
In November, RMC Sport reported that Mbappe, who was exiled from PSG’s squad last summer after refusing to extend his contract, could only return if he agreed to forego the bonuses he was owed. Despite initially being forced to train with players PSG wanted to offload, he was later reintegrated into the team after missing the first game of the season against Lorient.
Mbappe, PSG’s all-time top scorer, saw his playing time reduced after informing the club of his decision to leave at the end of the campaign. He is currently with the French national team preparing for Euro 2024 and will join Real Madrid after the tournament.
