Paris Saint-Germain has turned down Real Madrid’s €160m (£137m) bid for Kylian Mbappe.
Gatekeepers News reports that despite Mbappe’s clear interest in moving to Real, PSG Sporting Director Leonardo says the club have turned down Real Madrid’s €160m (£137m) bid for the French forward.
In 2017, the 22-year-old joined PSG from fellow Ligue 1 club Monaco for £166m in 2017 and will be out of contract next summer.
He has won three Ligue 1 titles and three French Cups at Le Parc des Princes.
Leonardo told RMC Sport, “Yes, we said no verbally to Real,” he, however, added that “No one is being held back. If someone wants to leave and our conditions are met, we’ll see.
“The offer is considered to be a far cry from what Kylian is worth today. We also owe part of this money to Monaco and we consider that the bid is not sufficient.”
According to the Club’s Sporting Director, Mbappe has also promised not to leave PSG for free.
Leonardo said, “Kylian wants to leave, it seems clear to me. If Real Madrid makes an offer, it seems clear to me… I am taking a position which I think is clear to everyone. If he wants to leave, we are not going to hold him back, but it will be on our terms.
“Kylian always promised that he would never leave the club for free. That’s what he’s always told us.
“We have no plans to talk to Real Madrid again. The deadline is August 31 at midnight. That’s how the transfer window is, but we are clear about this: we want to keep him and extend his deal. But we’re not going to let him go for less than what we paid for him when we still owe Monaco money.”
Earlier this month, PSG signed Argentina forward Lionel Messi after he left Barcelona. Leonardo says the club has tried to prove to Mbappe that he is central to the club’s vision but not “above the project” with their offer of a new contract.
Mbappe has started all three of his side’s Ligue 1 games this season, scoring in a 4-2 win against Brest on Friday.
Leonardo added, “Our position has always been to keep Kylian, to extend his deal, that has always been our goal and still is.
“We made two important offers to Kylian: one at the level of the top players in the squad two months ago, and one above these players very recently.”
