Kylian Mbappe is poised to remain sidelined ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Lorient, as Luis Enrique stressed the prioritisation of the “club above all else.”
The French striker has been forced to train separately from Enrique’s first-team group along with Julien Draxler, Gini Wijnaldum, and Leandro Paredes.
Now that the Spanish manager has all but confirmed that Mbappe will not be featuring in PSG’s Ligue 1 opener against Lorient, he hopes that the 2018 World Cup winner will find an amicable solution so that he gets to play again at Parc des Princes.
“I hope and wish that, just like in the past [last summer], the same thing will happen again, and that the club and the player can reach an agreement.
” That’s what I would like. The philosophy of this club is very clear: that the club is above everything, and I share it 100 percent,” he told reporters.
There are reports indicating that PSG has communicated to high-profile players such as Brazilian sensation Neymar, Marco Verratti, Hugo Ekitike, Juan Bernat, and Renato Sanches that they are considered surplus to the team’s needs and are welcome to explore new opportunities.
Nevertheless, Enrique refrained from divulging the details of his discussion with the players and emphasised that his actions should serve as a more significant communication.
“Conversations with players are private. I will not talk about what they have said and what I have said. My words say something, but my actions say more, and the actions that I take will show my ideas,” he said.
Mbappe remains adamant about running down his contract and has told the club he will not be leaving to join Real Madrid or anyone else this summer. It now remains to be seen if the impasse is resolved or if he makes the long-cherished move to Real Madrid in the final days of the transfer window.