Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has declined a mediation offer made by the French soccer league’s legal commission in a dispute with his former club PSG over unpaid wages and bonuses.
The 25-year-old French player, who switched club allegiance to Real Madrid as a free agent, alleged that the French champions owe him €55 million (around $60 million).
According to The Athletic, the mediation offer was rejected by the player’s representative, who met with PSG yesterday and informed the Associated Press about the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.
Conversely, PSG, where Mbappé spent seven illustrious years, has rebuffed his claim, asserting that they do not owe the French captain under any agreement following his decision not to extend his contract beyond the 2023-24 campaign, agreeing to forfeit bonuses so as to be reinstated into the first team.
The fallout in reaching any form of agreement means that Kylian Mbappé could resort to legal action, where both parties may seek resolution in court.
This all started in 2022 when PSG offered Kylian Mbappé a lucrative new deal that made him the club’s highest earner in history. The deal ran until 2024, with an option for an additional year, but Mbappé refused to extend beyond 2024, informing the club of his decision to leave last June after feeling betrayed by the club’s failure to fulfill promises of adding key players to the team.
Prior to his decision to leave, his relationship with PSG was already strained, as he was left out of the team’s pre-season tour and made to train alone. The club made efforts to sell him to avoid a financial loss, with one of the interested clubs being Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, but the French star rejected a bumper offer, prioritizing his dream move to Real Madrid.
Kylian Mbappé moved to PSG in 2017 following his outstanding performance with Monaco, which won the Ligue 1 title in the 2016-17 season. His seven-year career at PSG saw him win 7 Ligue 1 titles, 4 Coupe de France titles, and several other domestic honors, though he failed to lift the UEFA Champions League, falling short in the 2019-20 final against Bayern Munich.
In his 305 appearances for PSG, he scored 256 goals and provided 108 assists.
