PSG and Kylian Mbappe hit crossroads over £46million payment – ‘We are not paying’

Kylian Mbappe’s dispute with Paris Saint-Germain has escalated as the French giants refuse to cough up £46million in unpaid wages owed to their ex-star. Despite now showcasing his skills for Real Madrid after his free transfer last June, Mbappe’s financial ties with the Ligue 1 champions remain unsettled.

PSG have been issued an order by the LFP, French football’s governing body, to pay out €55m (£46m), which includes unpaid bonuses alongside his earnings from a seven-year commitment at the Parc des Princes – but the club is stubbornly defying the decision.

Last month, the 25-year-old reportedly reached out to UEFA to address the cash conflict. The Frenchman was reportedly aiming to claim a hefty signing bonus promised in February and recover the final three months salary from his Parisian tenure.

In their statement regarding the escalating feud with Mbappe, PSG declared: “Given the limits of the legal scope of the committee to make a complete decision on this case, the case must now be contested before another jurisdiction, to which PSG will be happy to present all the facts in the months and years to come.”

The standoff was initially triggered when Mbappe indicated he wouldn’t pen down a one-year extension, a move that left him free to exit the club without a transfer fee this year. Mbappe’s refusal to commit his future to Paris Saint-Germain sparked a dramatic chain of events, leading the club to list him for sale and initially exclude him from first-team training.

The French superstar, however, didn’t remain in the shadows for long as an agreement was struck that Mbappe described as one that “managed to protect all the parties”. In a twist to the tale, PSG reportedly accused Mbappe’s legal team of suggesting a deal in August 2023 to slash his bonuses by a staggering €55m (£46m) last season, paving the way for his return to squad activities.

The plot thickens with claims that this financial arrangement was never formally ratified or communicated to Ligue 1, allegedly due to a verbal understanding between Mbappe and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

Adding to the saga, it was previously reported that PSG had withheld Mbappe’s salary in a bid to hold back a significant loyalty bonus promised in his contract renewal in 2022. This standoff led to the LFP’s legal commission stepping in, ordering PSG to pay up just a day after Mbappe turned down a peace offering to settle their dispute.

Despite the off-field drama, Mbappe has hit the ground running with Real Madrid, clinching silverware by netting in their UEFA Super Cup triumph over Atalanta. After a tepid start in La Liga, failing to find the net in the opening three games, he roared back to form with a brace in Madrid’s recent 2-0 victory against Real Betis.