Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has removed Kylian Mbappe from its preseason tour roster.
The club announced the 29-man roster for the Japan tour to Osaka and Tokyo on its official website on Sunday, writing, “Discover the 29-man squad selected by Luis Enrique and his coaching staff. The squad will depart on the 22nd,” and announced the 29-man roster.
Lee Kang-in made the list. Lee made his first appearance of the preseason on July 22, starting in the pre-season friendly against Le Havre at Campus PSG at 0:00 pm.
Lee started the game as a right wing-forward, a role that does not involve playing wide to the flanks, but rather narrowing down to the center and connecting passes to his teammates. Instead, the wide areas were used to support the attack with Hakimi coming up high.
He continued to link up with Hakimi. Lee Kang-in, in the half-space, would receive the ball from Hakimi and try to pass it back to him on the flank, or play a killer pass to the attackers in the center.
But something bad happened. In the 43rd minute, Lee touched the back of his left thigh, signaling an injury. It was a muscle issue, as he felt the problem on his own and not through contact with an opponent, and he was immediately substituted off.
Despite this, he was included in the preseason roster. The exact extent of his injury hasn”t been confirmed yet. However, it”s unclear if he”ll be able to participate in the Japan tour due to a hamstring injury. Hamstring injuries vary depending on the player, but they can take up to four weeks or more of rest.
There’s one player whose name isn’t on the roster. Mbappe. The implications of this are huge. Usually, it’s rare to see a key player missing from a preseason tour leading up to a new season. It’s either due to injury or transfer, and in Mbappe’s case, it’s very likely a transfer. Mbappe came on as a 21st minute substitute in the second half against Le Havre and scored the winning goal in the 45th minute, so it’s not an injury.
European soccer reporter Fabrizio Romano said: “Mbappe has been excluded from the pre-season tour of Japan. It’s a decision made by PSG. PSG are confident that they have already agreed terms for Mbappe to join Real Madrid as a free agent in 2024.”
“PSG wanted a ‘new contract or leave’ response by the 15th, but Mbappe did not respond at all. PSG is considering selling Mbappe. As of today, PSG is considering selling Mbappe. He has not yet communicated with us, despite the public statements of our president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.”
The world is focused on Mbappe’s future this summer. Mbappe’s transfer saga first began on the 13th of last month. “Mbappe has informed PSG of his decision. He will not exercise his one-year extension option until 2025. His contract expires in 2024.”
“PSG’s position is clear. “PSG’s position is clear: either Mbappe re-signs this summer or we sell him. PSG has no intention of losing Mbappe as a free agent in 2024. PSG is surprised that Mbappe has not asked for any dialog in his decision.”
The BBC also reported that “Mbappe has told PSG he will not renew his contract. Mbappe has until July 31 to tell the club whether he will stay or go. But after months of talks, he has sent a letter declining an extension.”
As the transfer speculation heats up, it has been reported that Mbappe has sent a second letter to PSG. “Mbappe wrote to the club in June and then again in July to show his desire not to renew his contract until 2025,” France’s L’Equipe reported on July 7. Spain’s Marca also explained that “Mbappe sent a second letter in which he explained in more detail why he did not want to renew his contract.”
Eventually, PSG became furious. President Al-Khelaifi made his stance on Mbappe’s departure clear during Luis Enrique’s press conference on May 5. “My position is clear. I don’t want to repeat myself. If Mbappe wants to stay, he has to sign a new contract. We also want him to stay. We don’t want to let the best player in the world go for free. We will never let him go for free. It’s a very clear situation. No one is bigger than the club.”
PSG’s position is clear. It’s either a transfer or a re-signing. They have nailed down that they will not let him go to another club as a free agent. PSG has invested tons of money in Mbappe since he was 18 years old, starting with his weekly wages, which are astronomical. “There is speculation that Mbappe earns £1 million a week, but his current wages are £650,000 ($1.18 billion),” explained Talk Sport in the UK. For PSG, not receiving the transfer fee would be a huge loss.
In a letter published by RMC Sport, PSG gave Mbappe an ultimatum: “The club guarantees to respond favorably to a transfer request at the agreed time, while always seeing Mbappe at the club. It is true that we discussed a very ambitious transfer, but it was only partially achievable given the transfer market conditions and European regulatory constraints. We tried to respond to your requests, but you showed a lack of sincerity in your first letter in the summer of 2022. The club requests a meeting to find the best possible option to avoid ‘paralyzing the club’,” the letter strongly stated. 먹튀검증
In this situation, Mbappe returned to PSG’s pre-season training. His return raised eyebrows. “PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with Mbappe on Monday for the first time since the letter incident,” Sky Sports reported.
In the end, PSG decided to exclude Mbappe from their pre-season tour. PSG sent a strong message: no player is bigger than the club. Now it’s Mbappe’s turn to respond. If he really wants to leave, he should make his intentions clear, as he has done with his public statements so far.