President Macron: I told Mbappe to reject Real Madrid
FT Desk
- Updated: 5 Jun 2022 14:53 BST
- 3 min read
French president Emmanuel Macron has admitted that he spoke to Kylian Mbappe and advised him to stay at PSG.
Mbappe had seemed certain to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer but, in a shock turnaround, the attacker signed a three-year extension with PSG a fortnight ago.
All season long, it had been unanimously accepted that he would sign for Madrid on a Bosman transfer.
Having rejected a €200 million bid from Real Madrid for Mbappe last summer, the Frenchman was believed to have already agreed a free transfer move to the club he supported as a child.
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This was reinforced by the fact that he rejected numerous offers of a PSG extension throughout the campaign.
But, in a shock twist, Mbappe decided to sign a new deal at PSG.
The president of France hooked PSG up with an assist ✍️ pic.twitter.com/SBXJZLzsdR
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 4, 2022
It has been rumoured that political pressure played a role in Mbappe changing his mind – and Macron has now confirmed that he exerted some of his influence.
"I have never been involved in any transfer," Macron said according to Marca.
"Simply, like any other citizen, when it comes to sporting issues I always want to see a good game and cheer on a team, especially, in my case, Olympique Marseille.
"Yes, it is true that he had a conversation with Kylian Mbappe before he made a firm decision about his future.
"In that talk, I limited myself to advising him, in a totally informal way, to stay in France. I think it is my responsibility, as president, to defend the country when asked in an informal and friendly way."
Macron has been president of France since 2017 and is well-known for his love of football.
