Mbappe can’t leave PSG for free, says Club President

Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe must sign a new contract if he wants to stay at the club as the French champions will not let him leave for free next year, Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said. Mbappe sent a letter to PSG last month stating that he had no intention of extending his contract, which expires in 2024. But he later clarified that he had not asked the French club to allow him to move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, who have in the past tried and failed to land the World Cup-winning forward. PSG face the dilemma of allowing Mbappe to run down the final year of his contract and being unable to recoup any of the 180 million euros ($195.71 million) they spent in 2017 to sign him from AS Monaco. “My position is very clear. I don’t want to repeat it every time: if Kylian wants to stay, we want him to stay. “But he needs to sign a new contract,” Al-Khelaifi told reporters after unveiling Luis Enrique as the club’s new manager. “We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free, we can’t do that. This is a French club. “He said he would never leave for free. If he changes his mind today, it’s not my fault. We don’t want to lose the best player in the world for free, that’s very clear.” Mbappe has finished as Ligue 1’s top scorer in the last five seasons and PSG will be eager to keep him having already lost Lionel Messi on a free transfer. Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, opted not to renew his contract for a move to Inter Miami. Mbappe also said French President Emmanuel Macron had no influence on his career choices after the leader said he would push for the forward to stay in the country’s capital. 

Revealed: How Arsenal tempted Havertz with huge contract offer

Details of the huge contract that tempted Kai Havertz to leave Chelsea and join Arsenal have been revealed. The German newspaper Bild, reports that the German arrives as the club’s top earner at €20m (£17m/$22m) a year or €385,000 (£331,000/$420,500) a week with further bonuses available for helping the club to silverware. Thomas Partey was believed to be the previous highest-paid player on €12m (£10m/$13m) a year or €230,000 (£198,000/$250,000) per week. Havertz enters a pay grade that had been obsolete at the Emirates since the departures of Pierre-Emerick Aubemeyang and Mesut Ozil in the previous two seasons. But he should soon have company at the top of the charts with Declan Rice’s impending arrival likely to surpass Havertz’s transfer fee while matching him in wages. The success of the current squad also means that any contract renewals are likely to land in the same bracket. After a few weeks off, Havertz will soon be meeting up with his new team-mates and jetting off on the club’s