Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain have taken their financial feud to a Paris labour court, with the forward seeking over €260 million ($301 million) from his former club, while PSG has fired back with a €240 million counter-claim, L’Equipe reported on Monday.
The France captain’s substantial demand includes €55 million in unpaid wages, which he claims as damages stemming from a contract dispute, alleged ill-treatment by the European champions, and psychological harassment.
PSG’s equally eye-watering counter-suit seeks compensation for what they describe as Mbappe’s failed €300 million transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal in 2023, a move that sparked the bitter dispute now playing out in court. However, Mbappe’s lawyer stated that the Saudi club’s offer was never formally presented to the player.
“The club wishes to reiterate that it has made every effort, for over a year, to reach an amicable solution that would allow all parties to move forward, in accordance with the relationship of cooperation and trust that should exist between a club and its player,” a PSG spokesperson told Reuters.
“Several authorities involved in this dispute have encouraged an amicable settlement, which the club has always sought in good faith. Despite these repeated efforts, Mr Mbappe has continuously attacked the club at every opportunity, including through the proceedings initiated today—a regrettable situation for the player himself, as well as for French football as a whole.”
Mbappe’s representatives were not immediately available for comment.
The 26-year-old’s troubles with PSG began in July 2023 when he refused to sign a contract extension. The fallout led to Mbappe being excluded from PSG’s pre-season tour of Asia and missing their first match of the season, before eventually being reinstated to the squad.
PSG claim this followed the player’s agreement to forgo some of his end-of-contract payments to protect the club’s financial health. “The player then challenged an agreement reached with the club in August 2023, which provided for a reduction in remuneration in the event that he decided to leave on a free transfer, in order to preserve the club’s financial stability after the exceptional investment made,” PSG said.
Mbappe eventually left PSG to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in June 2024. PSG’s counter-claim includes €60 million in damages and €180 million for the “loss of opportunity” linked to Mbappe’s departure after he was signed for the same sum from AS Monaco in 2017.
“In court, the club presented evidence showing that the player acted disloyally by concealing for nearly 11 months, between July 2022 and June 2023, his decision not to extend his contract, thus depriving the club of any possibility of organising a transfer,” the PSG spokesperson added.
After a heated dispute between lawyers from both sides, the judge announced that a decision would be delivered on 16 December.
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