Real Madrid have officially made a €160 million bid for Kylian Mbappe to Paris Saint-Germain. However, PSG are reluctant to let Mbappe go and more so for that amount.
The sports director of PSG, Leonardo has talked about the situation with RMC Sport. Here’s the full interview:
How do you react to Real Madrid’s offer?
We haven’t had a lot of public communication about that, but our position has always been to keep Kylian, to extend him, that has always been our goal and still is. We made two important offers to Kylian: one at the top level of the squad two months ago and one above those players very recently. We want to prove to him that he is an important player, at the center of the project, but not above the project. Compared to the position of Real, it looks like a strategy to have a no on our part, to show that they have tried everything and to wait a year to have it free. Real Madrid have been behaving like this for two years , it’s incorrect, illegal even because they contacted the player. It is unacceptable to us, because it is not correct. This is the very proof of the strategy: an offer arrives one year from the end of its contract and 7 days from the end of the transfer window. They want a refusal to show Kylian that they’ve tried everything and start negotiating for next year.
Did you decline this offer?
Yes, we said non-verbally. But we are not holding anyone back. If someone wants to leave and our conditions are met, we’ll see. But we created a dream with our players this summer, and we won’t let anyone destroy it. The offer is considered to be a far cry from what Kylian represents today. We also owe part of this money to Monaco and we consider that the proposal is not sufficient.
Is that an offer of 160 million?
I can’t confirm the numbers, but it’s around it. It is less than what we paid for it. But it is especially the way of doing Real Madrid that we do not like.
Does Mbappe want to leave?
Kylian Mbappé wants to leave, it seems clear to me. If Real Madrid make an offer, it seems clear to me … I give a position, which, I think, is clear to everyone. We cannot, the last week of the transfer window change our plans. If he wants to leave, we won’t hold him back, but it’s on our terms.
Have you spoken with Kylian Mbappé?
With Kylian, we talked a lot, he always told us the same things. Kylian has always promised that he will not leave the club free. That’s always what he told us.
Is the door to his departure open?
We never opened the door to a departure. NEVER. People say that I want to sell and not Nasser, but me or Nasser thinks the same thing. We are on the same wavelength. We defend the club. Our goal is to extend it and keep it. But if a player wants to leave, it’s on our terms, it’s not just for Kylian, it’s for all players.
Are you waiting for a new offer?
We have no plans to talk to Real Madrid again. The deadline is August 31 at midnight. This is how the transfer window is, for us we are clear: we keep it and we extend it. But we’re not going to let him go for less than what we paid when we still owe Monaco money.
Do you have a plan B?
I am not preparing anything on the market at the moment. He has a one-year contract, we want to extend it. We never thought of a plan B. We created a very positive atmosphere. We won’t let anyone change that.
