Mbappé rejects mediation in $60m pay dispute with PSG
Kylian Mbappé is not ready to compromise with Paris Saint-Germain.
The France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the French soccer league’s legal commission on Wednesday in his dispute with his former club over wages and bonuses.
Mbappé’s representatives met with PSG officials in Paris after the France superstar asked the commission to get involved. Mbappé, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him around $60 million.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Mbappé’s representatives said the player asked the commission to take note of the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.
PSG, who said they were pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement they recalled that Mbappé had formerly made “clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris.”
PSG said that the legal commission recommended “mediation between the parties,” which the club said it had been seeking for months.
“The Commission has now invited the player to consider the mediation process,” a PSG spokesperson said.
The player’s representatives did not say what action they will now take. In light of the current deadlock, it’s likely the case will ultimately be settled by an employment court.
Mbappé’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.
PSG felt let down by Mbappé after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new deal in 2022. But Mbappé was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept.
When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappé was reportedly annoyed about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.
Mbappé stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, PSG were put in the position of needing to transfer Mbappé to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.
—ESPN
