Former Paris Saint-Germain chief Leonardo has instructed the French giants to cash-in on wantaway star Kylian Mbappe ‘for the good of the club’ in a scathing assessment of the forward.
The 2018 World Cup winner has certainly ruffled feathers at the Parc des Princes over recent weeks. He announced that he would not be signing a new contract with the club, potentially leaving him free to leave for nothing next summer.
Club chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi has already expressed his “shock and sadness” at the forward’s revelations but things have grown worse over recent days. Mbappe has also torn into his employers by claiming that they are a ‘divisive’ club to play for, something that has led an array of his teammates to complain.
It now seems only a matter of when and not if the striker will be leaving the French capital. Leonardo, who served as the club’s sporting director for three seasons until last year, believes that he must be moved on.
Speaking with L’Equipe, the Brazilian said: “For the good of PSG, I think the time has come for Mbappé to leave, whatever happens. Paris-Saint-Germain existed before Kylian Mbappé and will exist after him.”
Whilst some have suggested that a sale would devastate PSG - Mbappe’s 212 goals in 260 outings for the club potentially justifying those concerns - Leonardo is of a different opinion. He has suggested that Mbappe’s time, at least from a European point of view, has been a failure.
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“He has been in Paris for six years and, in those six seasons, five different clubs have won the Champions League ( Real Madrid in 2018 and 2022, Liverpool in 2019, Bayern Munich in 2020, Chelsea in 2021 and Manchester City in 2023), none of them which had Mbappé in their ranks,” he added. “That means it's totally possible to win this competition without him."
He also suggested that it is difficult to get Mbappe fully integrated into a team. “Due to his behavior in the last two years, Mbappé has shown that he is still not a player capable of really leading a team,” Leonardo said.
“He is a great player, not a leader. He is a great goalscorer, not a playmaker. It is difficult to build a team around him.”
Leonardo left PSG last year with it being suggested that his departure was linked to Mbappe’s contract renewal, something that he failed to confirm. It now seems inevitable the striker will to follow him out of the French capital, with a number of clubs interested in a swoop.
Real Madrid appears the most likely destination but whether they would be willing to meet PSG’s demands, particularly after signing Jude Bellingham for a huge fee is a different matter entirely. Mbappe reportedly favours a move to Arsenal if he was to join a Premier League club, but it seems highly unlikely the Gunners would sanction a move.
Liverpool have also been linked but they too see a move for him not fitting into their budget for this summer’s transfer window.
