PSG chief Al-Khelaifi breaks silence on Real Madrid's Mbappe statement
Tom Weber
- Updated: 28 Jan 2024 10:48 CST
- 3 min read
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has spoken about Real Madrid's official statement on Kylian Mbappe for the first time.
Last week, Los Blancos dropped one of their famous Communicado Oficials on Kylian Mbappe seemingly out of nowhere. The surprising announcement sought to address the rumours in the French and Spanish press that Real were already in negotiations with the Frenchman, which would be considered 'tapping up.'
The 24-year-old is out of contract in the summer but he can only be lawfully approached by interested clubs in January. To protect themselves against potential legal action, Madrid categorically denied the reports, though Mbappe is still expected to finally make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2024.
READ: Italian giants 'could sign Kylian Mbappe’
"Given the information recently issued and published by different media outlets," the statement read, "in which there is speculation about alleged negotiations between the player Kylian Mbappe and our club, Real Madrid CF would like to state that this information is completely false and that no such negotiations have taken place with a player who belongs to PSG."
Now, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has broken his silence on the matter.
What did Al-Khelaifi say?
Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Qatari claimed that he had no knowledge of the announcement. "I haven’t seen Real Madrid’s statement, we are all focused on ourselves and our football, not on others," Al Khelaifi said.
"Kylian continues to achieve great goals and maybe people take it for granted, but no one has played in two World Cup finals and also scored a hat-trick. I repeat: Kylian is the best in the world, it’s fantastic to see him at the helm of PSG and France. He has a positive effect on our young people, he helps us build our future.”
READ: ‘PSG would reject €200m Zaire-Emery bid’
When pressed on the recent shift in transfer policy, Al-Khelaifi reiterated that no one at PSG is bigger than the club, calling the transition "more than revolution, evolution. We aim for the top, always looking for how to improve and grow."
"For new foundations, you need time, a goal, patience, perseverance. A project is built with a plan, not on a couple of competitions. And then we have a new long-term philosophy, on the collective, no longer on individuals."
