The French champions Paris Saint-Germain have advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final in their quest for their first-ever European accolade. They edged past the La Liga outfit Real Sociedad with an aggregate scoreline of 4-1, following a 2-1 win in the last-16 second-leg tie in San Sebastian on Wednesday.
For the Parisians, Kylian Mbappe, once again delivered a scintillating European performance by scoring a brace, propelling his side into the next round. As the French striker is set to depart from Parc des Princes at the end of the season, both the PSG President and Manager have voiced their respective views on the situation.
PSG President talks on Luis Enrique’s handling of Kylian Mbappe situation
The transfer saga involving the 25-year-old striker and Spanish giants Real Madrid is approaching its climax, with the French international announcing his wish to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the current campaign, thereby ending his seven-year association with the club.
Despite receiving multiple offers to renew his contract with PSG, Kylian Mbappé has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal to move to Santiago Bernabeu this summer. The Ligue 1 side has made significant efforts to persuade their star player to remain in the French capital. However, it seems Mbappé has made up his mind that his future lies in Spain.
Following their Round of 16 triumph, PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi shared his views on the results in the post-match interview with Canal+. He addressed the speculations surrounding Mbappé’s future, saying, “If the club has not said anything, I am not going to say anything. He is at the club, he works for the club.”
“He has a contract with us. But we are also building something for the future. He is one of the best in the world, he scored two goals, but the whole team played really well this evening. Everyone played for one another, and that’s what we want for our club,” Al-Khelaifi added.
Luis Enrique confirms Kylian Mbappe’s exit
The French striker’s minutes under the management of the former Barcelona and Spain manager have been significantly reduced, especially after the striker communicated his decision not to continue with the club beyond the current season.
He only played the entire 90 minutes in the recent Champions League tie, a notable deviation from his usage earlier in the season, indicating that Enrique is preparing for the future without their top scorer. In their previous four domestic games, he made three appearances and was once on the bench, not completing full minutes in those appearances.
Now Luis Enrique has made it clear that he acknowledges the World Cup winner’s departure, stating, “Kylian, I’m not just discovering him today. You already know my opinion on him: He’s the best player in the world.”
He added, “He’ll score 50 goals and provide 25 assists in any team with any coach and unfortunately he won’t be here in the near future so we will have to test other teammates of his.”
Although Mbappe is set to depart from the French capital, his tenure at PSG has been totally spectacular.
