No excuse for Mbappe now, he can't do anything else but stay: Al-Khelaifi after signing Messi
Aug 11, 2021
Paris [France], August 11 : Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi insisted that Kylian Mbappe will stay at the club as the France forward has 'no excuse' now after the signing of Lionel Messi.
"The future of Mbappe? I think everyone knows. His future is clear. He said it himself, he wanted us to have a competitive team," the Parc des Princes chief said at Messi's first press conference on Wednesday.
"Well, we have the most competitive in the world right now. So there is no excuse for him now. He can't do anything else but stay," he added.
Mbappe, who has scored 42 goals in all competitions for PSG last season, has a contract at the French club until the end of June 2022 which the 22-year-old forward has given no indication to extend. Amid all this saga, European heavyweights Real Madrid from time to time have shown their keen interest in Mbappe.
Talking about violation of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules by signing Lionel Messi, president Al-Khelaifi insisted that they are not breaking it.
"We have the capacity to sign him. If we sign Leo, it's because we can, otherwise, we would not have done it," said Al-Khelaifi.
Earlier in the press conference, Lionel Messi said that he is excited to play alongside the world's "best players" after joining Paris Saint-Germain. The Argentine icon signed for PSG on a two-year contract with an option of a third-year after leaving Barcelona on Sunday.
The move to the French capital sees him reunite with ex-Barca teammate Neymar, and France striker Kylian Mbappe. "I am very happy. It's crazy. I'm going to play with the best players in the world, and that's always good," Lionel Messi told reporters.
"Neymar and I know each other very well," he said. "I hope we will be stronger together and with all our teammates."
