The French Football League’s legal committee has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappe 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages he claims he is entitled to, the league said on Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without further details, a day after the France star rejected an offer of mediation by the committee in his dispute with his former club.
PSG officials and Mbappe’s representatives met in Paris on Wednesday after Mbappe asked the committee to intervene. Mbappe joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer.
Mbappe’s representatives told The Associated Press after the meeting that the striker asked the committee to note the non-payment of three months of salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.
Paris Saint-Germain did not intend to pay and announced that it would take further legal action.
“In light of the limitations that limit the committee’s legal scope to make a full decision on this matter, the matter must now be appealed in another legal forum, to which Paris Saint-Germain will be happy to present all the facts over the coming months and year,” the club said in a letter to The Associated Press.
Paris Saint-Germain claim they do not owe the World Cup winner any money under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season – following his decision not to extend his contract with the club – with the player claiming he will forgo bonuses in exchange for reintegration into the squad.
“Legally and factually, the player has made clear public and private commitments that must be respected, having received unprecedented benefits from the club during his seven years in Paris,” Paris Saint-Germain said after the league’s announcement. “The club looks forward to supporting these commitments in the appropriate forum, should the player seek to pursue this case that inexplicably damages his reputation, in due course.”
Mbappe’s relationship with Paris Saint-Germain ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.
Paris Saint-Germain were left disappointed with Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new deal in 2022.
But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players had not been fulfilled. When he signed the new deal, he was paraded before the fans holding a shirt with the year 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly upset about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option of an additional season.
In June last year, Mbappé surprised PSG by informing them that he would not sign an option to renew for an additional year. With his contract effectively entering its final year, PSG needed to sell Mbappé to avoid losing him for free when his contract expired.
His PSG career could have ended in the summer of 2023 amid a tense transfer saga. After the club was told he would not extend his contract for another year, Mbappé was left out of the club’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea and forced to train with reserve players. PSG said they would rather sell him than let him leave for free in 2024, but rejected a €300m move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
PSG left Mbappé out of the team’s opening Ligue 1 match of the season as the tie continued, but eventually allowed him back into the squad after “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties, PSG said at the time.
