Mbappé vs. PSG: A Million-Dollar Conflict in Courts
The legal dispute between Paris Saint-Germain and Kylian Mbappé has escalated, with both parties filing significant financial claims. The French star striker and his former club are at odds over alleged unpaid salaries, a conflict that has reached the courts.
Mbappé, who was not present at the hearing, initially claimed 55 million euros. Now, the player is demanding more than 260 million euros from the club, arguing that PSG owes him that sum due to the reclassification of his fixed-term contract to a permanent one. This reclassification would imply compensation for unfair dismissal, unpaid salaries, bonuses, and severance pay.
In addition, Mbappé is claiming damages for moral harassment, undeclared work, and PSG’s breach of its duty of good faith and security towards him.
“Kylian Mbappé is not asking for anything beyond what the law establishes; he is simply seeking the application of his legal rights, like any employee,” declared the player’s advisors.
On the other hand, PSG is seeking a total of 440 million euros from the forward, including 180 million for “loss of opportunity” to finalize his transfer, as he left as a free agent after rejecting an offer of 300 million from the Saudi club Al Hilal in July 2023.
PSG also demands compensation for bad faith breaches in negotiations and contract performance, as well as for damage to reputation and image.
A court decision is expected next month.
The PSG argued that, when Mbappé was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his contract, there was a verbal agreement with him to waive bonuses in order to return to the team.
The club presented evidence demonstrating that the player acted unfairly by concealing for almost 11 months, between July 2022 and June 2023, his decision not to extend his contract, thus depriving the club of any possibility of organizing a transfer.
PSG added that the player challenged an agreement reached with the club in August 2023, which provided for a salary reduction if he decided to leave as a free agent, in order to preserve the club’s financial stability after the exceptional investment made.
Mbappé’s entourage responded that PSG never presented any proof of an agreement to waive these payments.
When he accused PSG of moral harassment, Mbappé denounced the “lofting” to which, according to him, he had been subjected at the club. The word “lofting” is used in France to describe a practice that consists of isolating a player from the main team for sporting, administrative or disciplinary reasons.
Mbappé, in fact, was not happy with the treatment he received from the Ligue 1 club when he was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his contract with the club.
Mbappé joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2024 as a free agent after scoring a club record of 256 goals in seven years at PSG, who won the Champions League without him this year.
His relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions, as the club felt disappointed after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new deal in 2022.
Mbappé surprised PSG a year later by informing the club that he would not exercise the option of an extra year. With his contract effectively in its final year, he put PSG in the position of needing to transfer Mbappé to avoid losing him for nothing when the contract expired. Mbappé had joined PSG from Monaco for 180 million euros in 2017.
After telling the club he would not extend, Mbappé was excluded from a pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea and was forced to train with marginal players. PSG left Mbappé out of the inaugural league match of that season, but he soon returned to the lineup after talks.
