(Reuters) – Paris St Germain welcomed an offer from the French football league’s governing body (LFP) on Wednesday to mediate with Kylian Mbappe over the France forward’s wage dispute following his departure from the Ligue 1 side.
Mbappe left PSG to make a high-profile switch to Real Madrid in the close season and French media reported the 25-year-old is seeking around 55 million euros ($60.58 million).
PSG and Mbappe were at loggerheads last year when the forward, who is the club’s all-time top scorer, refused to sign a contract extension and was frozen out of the team.
He was later reinstated into the first-team squad after they arrived at a resolution, but he left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season as a free agent.
“The club recalled that the player has made clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris,” a PSG spokesperson told Reuters.
“In the light of the club’s oral and documented arguments, the Commission insisted on mediation between the parties, which Paris Saint-Germain has been seeking for many months.
“The Commission has now invited the player to consider the mediation process.”
In January, Mbappe had said he made an agreement with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi which would “protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead”.
Media reports last year said Mbappe had agreed to forego loyalty bonuses if he left PSG on a free transfer. Reuters has contacted Mbappe’s representatives for comment.
($1 = 0.9079 euros)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
