Kylian Mbappe ends stormy relationship
Robin Bairner
- Updated: 14 Sept 2023 14:01 BST
- 4 min read
Kylian Mbappe has been in the football transfer news headlines all summer for his fallout with PSG that very nearly prompted him to leave the club, and he is once again taking centre stage following the breakdown of a relationship.
Mbappe, though, has not terminated his affair with PSG but has instead put an end to any hope that he and Neymar had of reconciliation.
The 24-year-old France star and the former Barcelona star, who signed for Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League this summer for €90 million, have stopped following each other on Instagram.
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Interestingly, Neymar continues to follow Mbappe’s younger brother Ethan.
It had been clear the relationship between the pair had been tense at periods during Neymar’s stay at PSG, most publicly when the Brazilian was caught playing late-night poker shortly after Mbappe had pleaded with his teammates to act professionally following a Champions League last-16 first-leg loss against Bayern Munich.
Indeed, one of the demands that Mbappe, who is a doubt for Friday’s match against Nice and also the midweek Champions League fixture with Borussia Dortmund due to a knee ligament issue, made when he signed a new contract with the Parc des Princes side in 2022 was reportedly for Neymar to leave the club.
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Neymar out, Mbappe in?
With the South American now off PSG’s books, Mbappe is reportedly a good deal happier and has responded on the field by scoring five goals in three Ligue 1 appearances after being welcomed back into the fold.
Indeed, Neymar’s departure has even fuelled optimism that the France star might sign another new deal, with his current contract due to expire in 2024 after he refused to take up the option of an additional year.
Although Mbappe is widely expected to sign for Real Madrid as a free agent next summer, there is genuine uncertainty now over which path his career will take, especially after PSG added Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani to their ranks according to his wishes.
