Nasser Al-Khelaïfi is committed to keeping star players Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, reports the French RMC Sports. The two played against each other on Sunday in the World Cup final, which was won by Argentina on penalties. Messi’s situation in particular seems to be urgent, as his contract with PSG expires next summer.
“We want to keep both Messi and Mbappé here, of course,” said PSG’s Qatari owner. “They are the best player and top scorer of the World Cup. I will not say anything about Messi because we plan to talk to each other after the World Cup.” In an interview with the Spanish sports newspaper Sport Al-Khelaïfi reaffirmed the forthcoming negotiations. “I don’t want to go any further leo to talk. I feel sad for France as I manage a French club. I am also sad for Kylian, who played the perfect game.” Mbappé managed to produce a hat-trick in the final, but that was not enough for the world title.
“But I’m happy for it leo“, emphasizes Al-Khelaïfi. “He was the icing on the cake, he deserves it. Kylian still has many years to go to win another World Cup.” While Mbappé still has a whole football life ahead of him at the age of 23, it is different for Messi. It is unlikely that the 35-year-old star will make it to the 2026 World Cup , but stop at the national team does la Pulga not for the time being, he added on Sunday TyC Sports know. “I managed to win the Copa América and the World Cup, almost at the end of my career,” he refers to the 2021 South American championship won next to the brand new world title. “I love football, it’s what I I enjoy being with the national team and I want to continue to play some games as world champions.”
Messi was still strongly linked to owner David Beckham’s Inter Miami in November, but whether that transfer will take place is still highly questionable. Mbappé had a very successful tournament on a personal level. The winger ended the tournament with his eight goals as top scorer. Mbappé still has a contract with PSG until mid-2025, but he is nevertheless often linked to a departure. Last summer he was still close to a move to Real Madrid, but Al-Khelaïfi then convinced Mbappé to stay longer with a huge salary increase. In October, news emerged that Mbappé would feel “betrayed” by PSG, due to agreements that the club would not have kept. In addition to Real Madrid, Liverpool, the club his mother is a fan of, would also keep an eye on the situation.