The legal committee of the French league has ordered Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to pay Kylian Mbappé €55 million (approximately $61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he is owed, the league announced on Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press (AP) but did not provide further details. This comes a day after the French star turned down a mediation proposal from the committee regarding his dispute with PSG.
On Wednesday, PSG officials and Mbappé’s representatives met in Paris after the player requested the committee’s intervention. Mbappé joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.
After their meeting, Mbappé’s representatives informed the AP that the player had asked the committee to recognize that he has not been paid for three months of salary and the final portion of a loyalty bonus.
However, PSG has stated that it does not plan to make the payment and has announced intentions to pursue further legal action.
“Given the limits of the committee’s legal authority to fully resolve this issue, we believe it should be addressed in another legal setting. Paris Saint-Germain looks forward to presenting all relevant facts in the coming months and year,” the club said in a statement to the AP.
PSG contends that it does not owe Mbappé money based on an agreement made when he was sidelined at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. This situation arose after he decided not to extend his contract with the team, and it is claimed that he had agreed to give up certain bonuses tied to his return to the squad.
“Legally and factually, the player has repeatedly made clear commitments that should be honored. He has enjoyed unique benefits from the club over his seven years in Paris,” PSG stated after the league’s announcement. “The club anticipates that these commitments will be upheld in the appropriate forum, should the player choose to further pursue what we consider to be a reputationally damaging issue.”
Mbappé’s time with PSG ended amidst significant tensions during his last season with the club.
PSG was disappointed with Mbappé after offering him what was the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he renewed his contract in 2022. Meanwhile, Mbappé felt let down because he believed promises regarding the recruitment of key players were not maintained. When he signed the new deal, he was showcased to fans with a jersey printed with “2025,” which reportedly frustrated him since the contract was actually set until 2024, with an option for one additional year.
In June of the previous year, Mbappé surprised PSG by announcing that he would not activate the option for an extra year. This left him with just one year left on his contract, putting PSG in a position where they needed to sell him to avoid losing him for free once the contract expired.
This standoff could have resulted in the end of his PSG career in the summer of 2023. After informing the club that he would not extend his contract, he was left off the team’s preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and trained separately with less prominent players. PSG stated it would prefer to sell him rather than allow him to leave for free in 2024, but he declined a lucrative €300 million transfer to Saudi team Al-Hilal.
Initially, PSG excluded Mbappé from the lineup for their first league game of the season as tensions continued, but the club eventually allowed him back onto the team after what they labeled “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties.
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