Although the future of Lionel Messi appears to be a more pressing issue for Paris Saint-Germain – the Argentine’s contract expires next month – the club management’s attention could quickly be turning to Kylian Mbappé in a few months’ time.

As indicated by L’Équipe earlier this season, the extension signed by the French forward at the end of last season – which fended off interest from Real Madrid – runs until 2024 with an option for an additional year, as opposed to what was announced as a three-year extension.

The France captain will have until the end of July to trigger this clause – and according to L’Équipe tonight, he is unlikely to do so. The player’s team have chosen not to comment, while the club has insisted that this potential decision would not call into question Mbappé’s central role in the PSG project.

Mbappé’s doubts on last summer’s transfer dealings, as well as a reported late payment in September and the “pivot gang” controversy, had all contributed to engendering a desire to leave back in the autumn. L’Équipe indicate that player-club relations have thawed since, and the soon-to-be Ligue 1 champions will not sell up this summer anyway. The fact that sporting director Luís Campos, who is close to Mbappé, is expected to stay is also reason to believe the team’s all-time top scorer will do so as well.

In any case, the move not to trigger the one-year extension clause will inevitably be seen as a way for Mbappé to put pressure on the club management to turn in a more successful transfer window than last year’s.

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin