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‘It’s my last year at PSG’


By AFP
Published : 11 May 2024 09:01 PM

France striker Kylian Mbappe says he will leave Paris St-Germain at the end of the season.

Mbappe, 25, announced the decision in a video released on his social media, external accounts.

“I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes,” Mbappe said.

“It’s my last year at Paris St-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks.”

Mbappe’s contract with PSG expires in June and BBC Sport reported in February that he has agreed a deal to join Real Madrid in the summer.

The World Cup winner is PSG’s record goalscorer with 255 goals and will play his final home game at the Parc des Princes against Toulouse in Ligue 1 on Sunday at 20:00 BST.

After that PSG have away fixtures at Nice (15 May) and Metz (19 May) before the French Cup final against Lyon at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille on 25 May.

Paris-born Mbappe, who joined PSG from Monaco for £165.7m in August 2017, said the club helped him “grow as a player” and “grow as a man as well”.

He added: “It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honour to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world.

“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions.

“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that. But I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”

Mbappe was set to leave PSG on a free transfer at the end of the 2021-22 season but ultimately signed a two-year contract extension, with the option of a further year.

However, after Mbappe told PSG he would not agree to the additional 12 months of the deal, he was not selected for their pre-season tour to Japan last July.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday he hoped star footballer Kylian Mbappe would be freed up by his likely future club Real Madrid to take part in the Paris Olympics for France.

"I'm counting on Real Madrid to free up Kylian for the Olympic Games so he can come play with the French team," Macron said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination.