Kylian Mbappé has confirmed he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season. The forward released a video on social media in which he confirmed the news many fans had been expecting, with his contract set to expire this summer.
Addressing the club’s supporters, Mbappé said: “I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend [my contract] and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.” PSG host Toulouse on Sunday and the 25-year-old said the Ligue 1 game will be “my last at the Parc des Princes” after seven years in the French capital.
“There are a lot of emotions,” Mbappé added. “For many years I have had the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club.” Mbappé thanked his five managers at PSG – Unai Emery, Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Christophe Galtier and Luis Enrique – as well as all of his teammates and backroom staff.
“It’s difficult to announce this, to leave my country, Ligue 1, a championship I have always known,” Mbappé continued, “but I think I needed this, a new challenge after seven years.” He reserved a special thank you to PSG fans, admitting: “I haven’t always lived up to the love you all gave me.”
Mbappé arrived at PSG on loan from Monaco in 2017, before signing on permanently for a fee of €155m (£143m) a year later. He has won six league titles in Paris but the time spent in the city of his birth has often been turbulent. The player has repeatedly been linked to Real Madrid, but signed a two-year contract extension in 2022.
“PSG is a club that never leaves anyone indifferent. You can love it or hate it … I made the choice of loving it for seven years, through ups and downs,” Mbappé added. “I do not regret, at any moment, signing for this prestigious club … I tried to give the best version of myself, with my qualities and my faults.”
Asked on Saturday about Mbappé’s departure, PSG manager Luis Enrique said he understood the player’s decision, and that the announcement came as no surprise to those inside the club. “All I can say is marvellous things about Kylian Mbappé as a footballer and person,” Enrique told reporters.
“He has been here for seven years and as a club legend. He has given everything to this club, and this club has given him everything as well. I wish him all the best for the future. I have been proud to have him in this team. He has helped us and is a leader, and he has done so with a smile on his face.”
“These are things that we have known for a long time ... it was only made public yesterday,” the head coach continued. “But it doesn’t change anything in terms of our general outlook … PSG will continue to be a great team and we’ll get even better. We will bring in players with strong mentality, who identify with the club.”
Mbappé has scored 255 goals in 306 matches for PSG, and contributed 108 assists. This season, he tops the Ligue 1 scoring chart with 26 goals, but speculation about his future has only intensified. In June of last year, the World Cup winner informed PSG he would not be taking up the option of a 12-month contract extension.
In February, Mbappé confirmed with the club hierarchy that he would leave at the end of this season, and will be available on a free transfer. He turned down a world-record £259m offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal last summer. Real Madrid remain Mbappé’s expected destination, but there has been no official update on talks.
PSG missed the chance to take on the Spanish giants in the Champions League final after losing to Borussia Dortmund in their semi-final. Mbappé has been unable to deliver Europe’s biggest prize to Paris for the first time, with the 2020 final defeat to Bayern Munich the closest they came in his time at the club.
Mbappé will have the chance to add another trophy to the collection he has accrued in Paris, when PSG take on Lyon in the Coupe de France final on 25 May.
