Paris Saint-Germain attacker Kylian Mbappe is reportedly prepared to sit on the bench for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign in order to stay at the Parc des Princes this summer.
The France international surprisingly turned down a move to Real Madrid last summer in order to extend his PSG contract, which is due to expire in under 12 months' time.
Mbappe's terms include an option to extend until 2025, but the ex-Monaco man has now sent a bombshell letter to the Ligue 1 champions informing them that he will not trigger that clause.
As a result, PSG are at risk of losing Mbappe on a free transfer next year, and the capital club are therefore working to sell him in the current window to avoid that unthinkable possibility.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi has insisted that Mbappe will not be allowed to walk out of the door for nothing, but the striker has claimed on more than one occasion that he wants to see out the final year of his deal.
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Having apparently slapped a €200m (£170.4m) price tag on the Frenchman's head, PSG are unlikely to find a buyer for Mbappe this time around, as Real are expected to wait until 2024 before attempting to finally sign the 24-year-old on a free transfer.
Manchester United have been tipped to make an approach if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani's takeover bid proves successful, although Mbappe's preferred Premier League destination is reported to be Arsenal, who could not afford his extortionate wage packet.
With no resolution to the stalemate in sight, RMC journalist Daniel Riolo has stated that Mbappe will still be on the books at PSG next season, even if the French champions pull out all the stops and threaten to consign him to the bench all season.
"Mbappe will be at PSG next season. Even if they [the PSG board] see this through to the end and bench him, Mbappe stays at PSG. He is ready to accept this situation," Riolo said.
"How did we come to this contractual situation? What is the way out? There is none. The only way for PSG is to play tough and tell Mbappe that, because he didn't renew, he will be benched all season."
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Last October - only five months after Mbappe's contract renewal - news broke of the striker apparently regretting his decision to put pen to paper, having been left betrayed by broken promises made by PSG.
The France international and Neymar were also alleged to have had a frosty relationship - claims denied by then-manager Christophe Galtier - but Mbappe continued to shine on the pitch amid intense speculation over his future.
Mbappe ended the 2022-23 campaign with 41 goals and 10 assists from 43 games in all competitions, surpassing Edinson Cavani to become the highest scorer in PSG history.
The 24-year-old won another Ligue 1 Golden Boot with 29 efforts in 34 matches, taking his total for Les Parisiens to 212 goals and 98 assists in 260 games since his 2017 arrival, but as many as six players have apparently complained to PSG management over a recent controversial interview, where Mbappe labelled the club "divisive".
PSG have already lost Lionel Messi this summer, but Luis Enrique's side have brought in five new faces in Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Lucas Hernandez and Lee Kang-in.
Ben Knapton
